Communications Breakdown

Communications Breakdown is a Star Trek: The Original Series manga story from the 2007 anthology ‘’Kakan ni Shinkou,’’ published by TokyoPop, written by Christine Boylan and drawn by Bettina M. Kurkoski. This is the story of Uhura’s first day back at work after the Nomad probe wiped her memories.

Publisher’s Information

 * From the back of the anthology Kakan ni Shinkou
 * ’’Uhura demonstrates the true power of communication...’’

Summary

 * Captain's Log, Stardate 3623.5.
 * ’’It has been twelve days since Nomad, an antiquated Earth probe reprogrammed for genocide, wiped Lt. Uhura’s brain of its language and learned memory. She has spent every waking moment re-educating herself to her former adult levels. After holding in orbit to exact immediate repairs, we have just left the Malurian star system on a course for a Starfleet facility for further ship servicing.’’

Receiving a distress call from Malur, Starfleet ordered the Enterprise to reverse course. Scott reported the ship was in dire need of repairs and could manage four days at most.

Escorted by Chapel, Uhura returned to the bridge for her first day back to work after the Nomad attack. Young Ensign Hodge seemed overwhelmed with the communications board, and Uhura took over as channels were disrupted during the ship's passage through an oort cloud. Uhura was able to resolve a garbled distress call, but reported something unusual in the message, an undertone that could put them in danger. Doubting her abilities and with no scientific explanation to back it up, Kirk temporarily relieved her of duty.

When Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Hodge and an ensign were beaming down down to Malur, Uhura pulled the ensign off the pad and beamed down instead. McCoy claimed he allowed her to come, but Kirk saw through the lie. Nonetheless, despite the insubordination, he ordered her to stay and justify being there. An automated planetary defense system suddenly fired at the ship. Spock had Chekov track the source and return fire.

Meanwhile, Uhura found the main signal coming from a communications tower and the source of the secondary signal hidden within, and tracked it to its source, finding a Malurian survivor. He said he’d been on a prison transport during the attack, and that he didn’t kill his guard or the driver of the transport. The grifter said he’d gone legit out of necessity, that four planets worth of goods were his to sell, and the message was a global estate sale. He fired at the Enterprise knowing a starship was unlikely to be buyers. He told Kirk, “Those in the know can de-code the undertone. They have special equipment. Not my fault you didn’t understand it. Your communications officer did.” Kirk wanted to take him to Starfleet and where they could look for other Malurians, but the survivor doubted Starfleet would help a common criminal like him. Uhura suggested a compromise where the survivor used his tech from Malur to look for survivors off planet, with a relay set up to direct survivors back home. Kirk said an ambassador would review the case of the survivor’s estate sale. Kirk apologized to Uhura for doubting her.

Characters

 * Nyota Uhura • James T. Kirk • Spock • Leonard McCoy • Hikaru Sulu • Pavel Chekov • Montgomery Scott • Christine Chapel • Hodge • Malurian Grifter Manway

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Locations

 * Malur

Races and cultures

 * Human • Malurian

States and organizations

 * Starfleet Section 8

Science and technology

 * automated planetary defense system • Oort cloud • communications tower

Ranks and titles

 * ensign

Other References

 * Federation Science Team • Starfleet Channel • distress call

Related stories

 * - Depicted events of Nomad’s destruction of the Malurian star system, its encounter with the Enterprise, and its attack on Uhura.


 * - Picard’s Enterprise encountered an automated planetary defense system which attacked the ship after all inhabitants on the planet had been killed.