"The Leader" was a short story published in the TOS anthology Constellations.
Summary[]
While returning to the Enterprise by shuttlecraft, Kirk, McCoy, Sulu and Ensign Sam Kerby realize they are being followed by a small Klingon vessel, which fires on the shuttlecraft. Kirk is forced to jettison the engines, first attaching a phaser to the intermix assembly to detonate it. The explosion knocks out the sensors of the other ship, piloted by a young Klingon named D'kar. The shuttle, which has been sabotaged, makes an emergency landing on a Class-M moon, home to a lost colony of humans led by Captain Simon Anders. The settlement originated from the crash of a colony ship forty-two years earlier. Anders, whose parents died in the crash, was adopted and trained as his successor by Captain Mendez, who died some years later. Kirk tells Anders of the possibility that the Klingon ship will find them.
Anders begins to be concerned that his people will now want to leave the colony. D'kar has landed and tracked Kirk to the settlement. He monitors the Starfleet officers' scans of their surroundings. D'kar is the son of Kor and hopes to deliver Kirk to his father to avenge Kor's disgrace at Organia. Anders is angry when Kirk disassembles one of the colony's few working computers without asking permission, and becomes more upset when he finds a boy named Jacob reorganizing the colony's grain supply at Kirk's suggestion. Feeling that Kirk is undermining his authority, Anders goes to a grotto which he considers his thinking place. D'kar finds him and threatens him with a knife. D'kar tells Anders that he wants Kirk and leaves. Anders finds Kirk at the settlement, but confronts him about challenging his authority and does not tell him about D'kar. Kirk decides that he and Kerby will seek out the Klingon shuttle.
Anders returns to the grotto and finds D'kar. He tells D'kar that Kirk is heading for the Klingon's ship, but is horrified by his betrayal as soon as D'kar leaves. Kirk and Kerby find the shuttle; D'kar wounds Kerby with a thrown dagger and fights Kirk, who defeats and stuns him. Spock and two security guards beam down from the Enterprise, which has found the moon, and Kerby is beamed up. Kirk, McCoy and two colonists find Anders in the grotto, in shock. He admits that he told D'kar where Kirk was and begins crying.
- Captain's Log, Supplemental: Satisfied that we have gotten what information we can from D'kar about the sabotage to the shuttle Copernicus, and because Ensign Kerby is recovering well from his wounds, we have–at the request of Starfleet Command–rendezvoused with Commander Kor's battle cruiser, to which we have been ordered to deliver our prisoner in accordance with the Organian Peace Treaty.
D'kar is returned to his father, who is displeased with his actions. Kirk regrets Anders' loss of self-respect and purpose.
References[]
Characters[]
- Alexandra • Simon Anders • Beth Anne • D'kar, son of Kor • Jonathan • Sam Kerby • Jacob Kessler • James T. Kirk • Kor • Leonard McCoy • Mendez • Michael • Missy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura • USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel roster
Starships and vehicles[]
Locations[]
- Beta Aurigae • "the Frontier" • New Cairo • Organia
Races and cultures[]
States and organizations[]
Other references[]
- Klingonese • Organian Peace Treaty • Callista • photon torpedo • intermix chamber • Organian • Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2267 • Starfleet casualties
Chronology[]
Appendices[]
Related media[]
Background[]
Annotations[]
Connections[]
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: See No Evil |
Constellations
|
Next story: Ambition |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: The Winged Dreamers |
Next Adventure: Indomitable | |