Where No Sound May Be
There is a silence where no sound may be,
In the cold grave.
'Silence' by Thomas Hood
The three officers sat still and silent, straining to locate the source of the strange thumping noise that seemed to come from the rear of the shuttlecraft. They had been all through the small spacecraft, examined every inch, run every computer diagnostic and still they could find no cause for the disturbing sound. Scientists all, they realized that it could not possibly come from outside the shuttlecraft that flew in the vacuum of space. Yet, they all thought silently to themselves, the sound seemed to come from beyond their small ship.
Captain Kirk, Ensign Chekov, and Lieutenant Uhura were returning to the Enterprise after attending the installation of a minor head of state on an out-of-the-way planet. They had been ordered to attend by the head of the Federation's Diplomatic Corps. Captain Kirk, who hated this sort of function, had privately thought that he was being punished for his well-known distrust of diplomats and diplomacy. However, since it was made clear that he had no choice but to attend, the captain kept those thoughts to himself. He decided to take his officers to the ceremony in a shuttlecraft rather than divert the Enterprise from its current mission surveying a newly discovered planet in a nearby system. Leaving Mr. Spock in command, the three had set out for their diplomatic duty.
The investiture had been uneventful, even boring. As the only Federation representatives in attendance, the officers were expected to attend every event. They witnessed the crowning. They watched as the new leader named an heir. They sat through endless rituals, ate uncountable ceremonial meals, and attended all manner of sacred rites. The Enterprise personnel had been briefed and performed their duties nearly flawlessly.
There was one awkward moment at one of the feasts, where they encountered an unexpected custom. It seemed that the people of the planet had a firm belief in, what in Earth terms, would be called ghosts. They spoke of spirits as if they lived among them. They asked the ghosts' permission and advice and seemed annoyed that the captain and his officers did not share this belief. It had taken Captain Kirk a little time to realize that when the new leader spoke of taking her title from her deceased mother, she was not speaking metaphorically. Kirk silently cursed the Diplomatic Corps. Yet again their briefing had been incomplete, leading to a potentially damaging situation. He had not known that the Enterprise's officers were expected to converse with the dead. Ever adaptable, the Starfleet officers performed as expected and smoothed over any misunderstandings and finally the ceremonies ended.
Before leaving the planet, Captain Kirk and his officers gave and received the obligatory gifts. The newly crowned leader gave the captain an embroidered mantle and a carved box, which had been owned by her dead mother. Kirk had some difficulty with the presentation, for she seemed to indicate that the gifts still belonged to the dead woman. Uhura suggested that there might be an error in the translator. They made their farewells and departed for the Enterprise.
With Captain Kirk piloting, they expected to make rendezvous in less than twelve hours. The first part of their return journey was routine and the three officers began to relax after the rigors of their diplomatic duties. Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura examined the gifts that he had received from the newly installed ruler. They tried to decipher the symbols that crowded the elaborate box. As Kirk turned it over, a sharp edge on one of the sides of the box cut his hand. Without Dr. McCoy to tend to Kirk's cut, it bled rather vigorously, staining the pale wood of his gift. Kirk wrapped his hand in a bandage to stop the bleeding. It was at that moment that the strange thumping began.
And now, after several hours of fruitless searching, the three officers were no closer to determining the cause of the noise. The shuttlecraft appeared to be flying true, but the temperature in the tiny ship had decreased somewhat. It was not enough to be life threatening, just enough to chill the occupants of the small ship. They gratefully accepted the cups of hot chocolate that Ensign Chekov made for them, after listening patiently to a wild story about how chocolate had been invented in Russia. The cocoa warmed them and for a little while they were able to put aside their unease at the unexplained noise.
The noise persisted. With less than three hours to go until their rendezvous with the Enterprise, external sensors indicated nothing unusual on the outside of the shuttlecraft. Captain Kirk refused Chekov's offer to suit up and check the craft externally. It appeared that the noise caused no real problems and he was unwilling to risk a walk in space at warp speed. Uhura determined that the sounds did not resemble any code or signal. The three officers felt frustrated by the mysterious noises.
Uhura raised the Enterprise and informed Mr. Spock of their situation. He offered to leave orbit around the planet they were surveying, but the captain refused. There didn't appear to be any danger, only irritation at the incessant, unexplained sound. Deciding to ignore what they couldn't change, the officers could only wait to reach the Enterprise. They tried to sleep without success and after a while Captain Kirk pulled out the gift that he had been examining when the noises began. He turned the box over, being careful to avoid the sharp points where he had cut himself before. He checked the entire box. The bloody stain had vanished. Chekov and Uhura, both of whom had seen the captain's blood mark the box, searched the gift. Neither of them could find a trace of blood.
Suddenly, they realized that the sounds had stopped. Kirk didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned. Before he could consider the possibilities, Lieutenant Uhura indicated that the Enterprise was within visual range. Captain Kirk requested permission to dock and piloted the shuttlecraft into the Enterprise's landing bay. While the three officers waited for the bay to pressurize, they gathered their belongings. The captain's box was gone. They searched the tiny shuttlecraft completely, including their personal luggage, but the box was nowhere to be found.
As they left the shuttlecraft, the three found Mr. Spock waiting for them in the landing bay. He had a tricorder in his hand and a most peculiar look on his face. He beckoned to the captain to join him. There on the rear of the shuttlecraft was a mark. As Kirk came closer he saw it was in the shape of a hand. It was red, and wet. It looked like blood. He could not pull his eyes away. He looked down at his injured hand. There was no trace of a cut.
His first officer stood very close and pitched his voice so only Captain Kirk could hear.
"It's blood, Jim. Your blood."
The End