The Trouble With Tribbles Part 28

SPOCK.

Guard, is this door secure?

GUARD.

Yes, sir. Nothing could get in!

KIRK.

I hope so. Open the door.

The guard moves to the wall panel and touches a mag-netic key to a panel. At .rst the door doesn't open...

KIRK.

(continuing; impatient) Open it!

The guard .ddles with the key. Kirk watches, waits: .nally he steps up and pushes the guard aside and pushes the door.

GUARD.

It's not working, sir. It seems to be- What it seems to be, we will never know, because at that moment, the door slides open with a WHOOSH!! This is immediately followed by a silent FWOMP!!

Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds (or at least as many as we can afford) of tribbles come tumbling out of the door, cascading down around Kirk, tumbling and seething and mewling and writhing and throbbing and trilling and purring and...

What we can see of Kirk reacts.31 FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE.

ACT FOUR.

FADE IN:.

69 INT. s.p.a.cE STATION-CORRIDOR OUTSIDE 69.

STORAGE COMPARTMENT-INCLUDING DOOR.

Kirk is standing in the middle of a mountain of tribbles. More and more keep tumbling out, fat and sa.s.sy and lethargic.

70 ANGLE 70.

SPOCK.

(examining a tribble) It seems to be gorged...

BARIS.

Gorged! On my grain! Kirk! I'll hold you responsible!

(despairingly at the grain) There must be thousands.

KIRK.

(peering into the storage compartment) Hundreds of thousands...

SPOCK.

...One million, seven hundred and seventy-one thousand, .ve hundred and sixty-one.

Kirk looks at him ("Oh really?").

SPOCK.

(continuing) That's a.s.suming one tribble multiplying with an average litter of ten, producing a new generation every twelve hours over a period of three days...

KIRK.

That's a.s.suming that one got in here three days ago...

SPOCK.

Also allowing for the amount of grain consumed and the volume of the storage compartment...

BARIS.

Kirk! You should have known!-You're responsible for turning the Development Project into a total disaster!

KIRK.

(slowly) Mr. Baris- BARIS.

Kirk, I'm through being intimidated! You've insulted me-ignored me-walked all over me! You've abused your authority and rejected my requests! And this... this...

(indicating the tribbles) ...is the result!! I'm going to hold you responsible.

Kirk, thoroughly angry, but thoroughly cool, reaches out, grabs Baris by the coat front.

KIRK.

Baris, shut up. Or I will hold you in irons.

71 ANOTHER ANGLE 71.

as McCoy approaches. Kirk releases Baris, who hauls himself together.

MCCOY.

Jim, I think I've got it. All we have to do is stop feeding them. Once they stop eating, they'll stop breeding.

Kirk looks at him.

KIRK.

Now he tells me...

And McCoy looks at the tribbles on the corridor .oor and realizes that his advice is a little late.

Spock is also looking at the tribbles on the .oor-he is kneeling curiously.

SPOCK.

Captain, this is most odd...this tribble is dead...

(he begins examining others) ...so are these...

McCoy and the others begin examining the tribbles more carefully. McCoy uses his Feinberger.32 MCCOY.

This one is alive-a lot of them are still alive...but they won't be for long...

72 ANGLE 72.

SPOCK.

A logical a.s.sumption is that there is something in the grain.

KIRK.

Bones, I want a complete a.n.a.lysis of the tribbles, the grain, everything. I want to know what killed them.

MCCOY.

I still haven't .gured out what keeps them alive.

Kirk just glares at him.

MCCOY.

(continuing) I'll let you know as soon as I .nd anything.

McCoy, his arms laden with tribbles and etc., moves off.

BARIS.

Kirk, that won't do you any good-The project is ruined... Star.eet will hear of this disaster...There'll be a board of inquiry, and they'll roast you alive, Kirk... I'm going to be there to enjoy every minute of it.

KIRK.

All right. But until that board of inquiry convenes, I'm still a captain. We have two things to do... First, .nd Cyrano Jones.

(pause, glance at door) Second, close that door.

CUT TO:.

73 TRANSITION SHOT-s.p.a.cE STATION 73.

CUT TO:.

74 LURRY'S OFFICE 74.

as the last few preparations are being made. Two crewmen escort Cyrano Jones into the room, then begin removing excess tribbles. Kirk and Spock and Lurry are discussing something. Baris is waiting at the door, looking for Darvin. Koloth enters, followed by Korax.

KIRK.

What do you want?

KOLOTH.

An of.cial apology, Kirk, addressed to the High Klingon Command. I want you to take responsibility for your persecution of Klingon nationals in this quadrant.

KIRK.

An apology...?

KOLOTH.

You have hara.s.sed my men...treated us like criminals. You have been most uncourteous, Kirk...and if you wish to avoid a diplomatic crisis...

BARIS.

You can't let him, Kirk! That'll give them the wedge they need to claim Sherman's Planet!

SPOCK.

I believe more than the word of an aggrieved Klingon commander will be necessary for that, Mr. Baris.

Koloth glares at Spock.

KOLOTH.

As far as Sherman's Planet is concerned... Captain Kirk has just given it to us.

KIRK.

We'll see about that, Captain. But before any of.cial action is taken, I want to .nd out just what happened here. Who put the tribbles in the quadro-triticale, and what was in the grain that killed them?

Kirk starts to go on, but Koloth interrupts, KOLOTH.

Captain Kirk, before you go on, I have a request...?