The Savage Within

The Savage Within is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic strip. It is the ninth story in the US Comic Strips series, published daily in newspapers over a period of 12 weeks by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. The story was set after, depicting events from Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the refurbished USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). In this story, the crew has 37 hours to rescue the inhabitants of a massive derelict from a nearby neutron star.

Summary

 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7692.7.
 * We are on a mission to chart Epsilon Anubis, a double star system in the unexplored region of the galaxy, and to make contact with any intelligent life there.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7692.7.
 * During a mission to chart Epsilon Anubis, a double-star system in the unexplored region of the galaxy, our sensors have located a derelict vessel in orbit around the system’s principal star. We are going in to investigate.

Spock determined the derelict had a malfunctioning laser fusion drive, sublight propulsion. Unfortunately, Epsilon Anubis-B was a neutron star, and its orbital path would pass near enough to the derelict in 37 hours that X-ray and gamma radiation would kill any inhabitants. Scotty said it would take two months to tow the massive derelict away from the star. The only way to rescue the inhabitants would be to repair the ship’s engines. They also discovered a second vessel attached underneath the derelict. Scott took command. Kirk beamed over to the derelict with Spock, McCoy, Security Sergeant Umeki, young Engineering Ensign Thomas Hadley, and Hadley’s engineering assistant droid.

300 years worth of dust coated the equipment in the derelict. Hadley put on his helmet and scouted ahead, wary of radiation leaks. McCoy found a pile of bones, some of which weren’t humanoid. Suddenly they were overrun by barbarians wearing old equipment and makeshift spears. Umeki fell, but Kirk, Spock and McCoy were brought before leader Korm Nal and second in command Cha Ton. Korm Nal, clad in an Egyptian-like gold necklace and tiara, asked the newcomers what clan they came from. She was taken aback when Kirk identified himself as captain of a starship.

Meanwhile, Hadley and his droid located “the junction of the fusion combustion chambers,” and needed to locate the one with a hole in it. Scotty advised checking seals around each hatch carefully. With the droid providing tools, Hadley inspected the hatches, eventually entering the one most likely to be repairable, but finding high resistance in the main power feed. Scotty could hear from Hadley’s tone that the young engineer felt the burden of this mission on him.

As they took the landing party to their stronghold, Korm Nal ordered one of her people to remove some gear from a wall. It exploded. Kirk dove to save Korm Nal, absorbing some of the blast impact himself. As McCoy tended to Kirk, Cha Ton reached to stab McCoy, but Korm Nal ordered him to halt. Then, several very large insect aliens approached, called the Eloksi. Spock and others collapsed in pain from a strong burst of mental energy, and many were covered with a glue-like secretion before the Eloksi grabbed McCoy and retreated.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7693.5.
 * Members of my crew and I are aboard a derelict vessel in close solar orbit around Epsilon Anubis A… 12 hours remain until that star’s binary companion, a deadly radioactive neutron star, begins its encounter phase… 12 hours to save the inhabitants of this ship — and ourselves — from a certain and terrible death! We are no longer prisoners of the Shi’e Clan, barbaric descendants of the original crew of this vessel… led by the beautiful and enigmatic Korm Nal… and we have survived an attack by a race of telepathic aliens, the Eloksi, who may have come aboard from the mysterious starship docked to this vessel… but the fate of Dr. McCoy is unknown! We must find him…

Spock was certain the Eloksi came from the small vessel attached to the derelict. From stories told by Korm Nal, deaths of several clans were apparently due to earlier trips near the neutron star, and that the Eloksi had been there for several clan generations. The person in charge of all the clans was hereditary Captain N’ga, but Korm Nal said all who seek him had died, but would help Kirk find him.

In the meantime, Hadley and Umeki had been captured and brought to N’ga on the bridge of the derelict. Seeing one wounded, and feeling certain there’d be more with them, N’ga had the Enterprise hailed using “the ancient ritual of summons,” but when there was no response, N’ga fired lasers at the Enterprise. Sulu reported their number one shield was weakening against the repeated laser barrage, but Scott wouldn’t retreat out of transporter range. Back in contact with the landing party, Scott updated Kirk. Having no other options, Kirk with Korm Nal’s clan stormed the bridge of the derelict just the Eloksi appeared, carrying McCoy.

Kirk asked Korm Nal not to attack the Eloksi. Spock reached out with the Vulcan mind touch. Realizing they were McCoy’s friends, the Eloksi handed McCoy to Kirk. McCoy explained the Eloksi had come in their ship as they had, to rescue survivors on the derelict, but that the Eloksi telepathy had killed people they encountered, started a war, and they’ve been unable to get back to their own ship ever since. McCoy beamed back to the ship with Hadley and Umeki. Deciding there’d been enough talk, Korm Tal declared herself the new captain of the derelict.
 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7694.2.
 * We have ended the attack on the Enterprise and established communication with the Eloksi, but our efforts to save the inhabitants of the derelict vessel are being blocked by the ambitions of Korm Nal…


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7694.2.
 * Each passing second beings death closer to all aboard the derelict, but our rescue effort is blocked by the ambitions of Korm Nal…

Kirk reasoned with Korm Nal, explaining in her terms that they had one hour to restart the derelict’s engines or all would die.


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7694.3.
 * The derelict’s remaining engine has failed to fire. Our only hope is that this was due to an improper firing procedure, and not mechanical failure… Everything depends on how much accurate technical information has been passed on, in ritual form, to N’ga, the hereditary captain of this vessel…


 * Captain's Log: Stardate 7694.3.
 * There has to be a vital clue to the proper firing procedure for the ship’s drive in the ritualized actions of N’ga, hereditary captain…

Spock went with the Eloksi to their ship. With the Eloksi ship and the Enterprise pulling with tractor beams, and N’ga performing the ritual that resulted in the right buttons being touched to restart one engine, the derelict was pushed out of danger.

Characters

 * James T. Kirk • Spock • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Hikaru Sulu • Pavel Chekov • Nyota Uhura • Thomas Hadley • Umeki • Korm Nal • Cha Ton • N’ga

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) • Epsilon Anubis derelict • Eloksi starship

Locations

 * Epsilon Anubis system

Races and cultures

 * Human • Eloksi • Shi’e Clan

Science and technology

 * access hatch • double star system • encounter phase • Epsilon Anubis A • Epsilon Anubis B • engineering droid • fusion combustion chambers • gamma radiation • heat shielding • insectile aliens • insectile secretion • laser fusion drive • laser weapon • main power feed • neutron star • number one shield • power circuits • radiation shielding • shields • Spectral type F3 • sublight engine • terpene compound • tractor beam • X-rays

Other references

 * artificial gravity • carbon-based • dilithium crystal • implosion • Kelvin temperature • life support system components • phasers • Saurian brandy • seals • telepathy • Vulcan mind touch

Information

 * This is the ninth of 20 story arcs set after the events of, and is set during Captain Kirk's second five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). It is the first comic strip story written by Sharman DiVono and drawn by Ron Harris, though Harris had provided art assistance to previous writer/artist Thomas Warkentin.


 * Recurring Engineering Ensign Thomas Hadley was given a full day’s introduction on May 7, 1981 and was featured in this story. Hadley returned as comic relief with Scotty in Quarantine. Hadley returned with a promotion to lieutenant in The Wristwatch Plantation and had a cameo in The Nogura Regatta.


 * Hadley brought with him on this mission a Star Wars-style engineering droid which carried his helmet and provided him with tools.


 * Recurring Security Sergeant Umeki was first seen in the background on May 7, 1981 and was given a name on May 9. He served on landing parties and broke up fights in Quarantine, Restructuring Is Futile and The Wristwatch Plantation. He was seen with his security helmet off only in one panel, in Quarantine.


 * Anubis is an ancient Egyptian god of the afterlife, and has a counterpart named Anput. The Epsilon Anubis double-star system has a life-giving star and a companion, a deadly neutron star.

Background

 * This story has plot and setting similarities to David Gerrold's and . In each, the inhabitants were unaware they were aboard a massive interstellar vessel, and were threatened by spacial phenomena (neutron star, rift, planetary collision).


 * Two crew oddities were seen in this story. Uhura was addressed as a lieutenant on April 28, April 29, and May 3, 1981. And Chekov appeared as a navigator rather than head of security, seen seated at the navigation station on April 29. He did not know what a neutron star was.


 * Paul Chadwick provided uncredited art assists to Harris. (http://www.hassleinbooks.com/pdfs/TrekComics.pdf) Chadwick and Harris had distinctively different art styles. Shadows were made consistently with dots and black tones by Harris. They were made instead with groups of horizontal lines on June 8-13, and June 29-July 4, 1981.

Related stories

 * - Described the starship refit, crew changes, and technology updates that occurred prior to the events of this story.
 * - Multi-generational spacecraft story.