Storyline #2: Dilithium Dilemma w: Thomas Warkentin, a: Thomas Warkentin 1/13/80-3/8/80

ENGINEERING TO RESISTING THA T TRACTOR

BRIDGE ...WE HAVE A BEAM HAS FUSED NEARLV
WEE PROBLEM.. . ALL OF OUR RESERVE J
s. DtLITHIUM! A

CAPTAIN'S LOG ■ STARPATE 749g. 3

I THE RECENT DRAIN UPON OUR
m DlLITHIUM RESERVES CRITICALLY
; LIMITS OUR RANGE ANDCAPA0IL1TV.
1 THE ENTERPRISE IS MARGINALLY
OPERATIONAL.

LIEUTENANT ILIA/ H THE SHORTEST

WHAT ARE OUR MR . ROUTE. TO
L options? k THE NEAREST
ALRIGHT, SCOTTY. I STAR0ASE IS
SHUT DOWN WARP ...WE’LL " y TH ROUSH THE
ENGINES AND ALL CONTINUE 13 ROMULAN/
NON-ESSENTIAL 1 KLINGON
ON IMPULSE jk NEUTRAU ,
. SYSTEMS... ^ POWER. ,
w> T/ 4
ff SUB-WARP
M SPEED, THAT
B WOULD TAKE
Wk US 42.
YEARS. A

CAPTAIN, A "PLAYED-OUT” f LEVS HOPE

MINE MIGHT HAVE ENOUGH SO, SPOCK...
r OR...WE > DILITHIUM REMAINING ^ I'M NOT EAGER
COULD REACH FOR OUR PURPOSE. dfA Bk TO SPEND
PLANET FORMAL A YEARS
IN NINE DAYS.
CRAWLING
) ACCORDING 1 PAST THE
' TO THE NAVI- 1 7 KL/NGONS
COMPUTER, A J AND THE
MINING COLONY 57 ROMULANS.
THERE CHOSE
TO REMAIN
AFTER THE
L DILITHIUM ,
k PLAYED OUT A
\ 60 YEARS A THOMAS ,
M A GO. WARKEHTiH,

CAPTAIN... FORMAL! AND A Rim

COMING INTO SENSOR
RANGE NOW, WITH TWO
OBJECTS INOR&IT...A
.WEATHER SATELLITE,.
 KEEP ME POSTED, AMD
OPEN A CHANNEL TO
THE COLONY

^CAPTAIN,
THE KUNGONS
HAVE LEFT
v. ORBIT-
Thomas }
mmmM
CAPTAIN'S LOB ■ STAROATE 7904,4
OUROIUTUHJM NEARLY EXHAUSTED, WE
Ap£ EN ROUTE TO iFQ/RMA M TO REPLENISH
OUR SUPPLY, 'RATHER WAN REVEAL OUR
LIMITED CAPABILITY TO KUN&ONS ALREADY
IN ORBIT, WE ARE US!NO THE LAST OF OUR
RESERVES TO APPROACH AT WARP SPEED.

THERE 15 ANOTHER
MATTER 1*D LIKE TO
DISCUSS. MAY WE
. LAND A PARTY ?

f SPOCK, ^
I'LL WANT YOU
AND SON£5 IN
THAT PARTY, AND ENSIGN
TASKUL
OUR MINING
ENGINEER,, j

CAPTAIN * All RIGHT, SULU.

\REQUEST YOU HAVE IT.,, .
PERMISSION ANY SPECIAL J
TO JOIN THE REASON? A
LAMPING
V PARTY
MISTER SULO.YOU DOCTOR IF IT'S A CHOICE \
EXPRESSED INTEREST VO LIKE McCOY. WILL BETWEEN BLUE SKY )
IN OUR FLORA.WOULD THAT VERY you JOIN I AND FLOWERS ... OR /
YOU CARE FOR A MUCH - ^ , U5T J SNOOPING THROUGH /
GIMPED TOUR ? > AN ABANDONED /
MINE...,—
V <50 OA/. ^
„_ S
4 &ONES, BN JOY
vouzseif. >

LOOK! TWO ARE LEAVING

WITH THE WOMAN... LETS GO,
AFTER THgM, THE ODDSI
w WOULD 0£ BETTER - jl

YOU'RE A
FOOL, KRAX. OUR
TARGET IS STILL THE STRIPES Of
^ INSIDE... y a BTAaneBT
CAPTAIN! A

WE'LL ~
TAKE THE r AND
SCENIC A LITTLE
CALM. SERENITY IS JUST
ROUTE. .
WHAT THE DOCTOR
ORDERS.
 HANDS AGAINST KL! NOONS!
THE WALL...
v NOW! A

I'M NOT
DROPPING
THIS BABY.

LET HIM HOLD IT, NO TRICKS,

IT'S SERVED ITS WE WOULD NOT W£ DON'T
PURPOSE. HESITATE TO LIKE HUMANS
KILL... . OR VULCANS
OR ARCTURlANS!

V YOU CAN r / ANA KOTH *

SKIP THE FIRST OFFICER
NICETIES, OF THE IMPERIAL
SET TO THE BATTLECRUISER
POINT! d v KANPAR... .

...AND THE POINT IS V" IN RETURN

SIMPLE , CAPTAIN OR DILITHIUM
WE OFFER YOU OM YOUR SHIPS
YOUR LIVES.. RESERVES. .

IT’S NOT
THAT SIMPLE;
1980 Paramount PicturesCofp. All Rights Reserved COMMANDER.
IN ODD CONTRAST WITH THE LUSH
FOLIAGE SURROUNDING IT. AN AURA
OF DEATH AND DECAT SEEMS TO HANG
ABOUT THE HUGE WRECK...
 SURELY YOU'VE GUESSED
THAT STARFLEET HAS A jT I DON'T 1
NETWORK OF HIDDEN KNOW WHAT
DILITHIUM STORES. J SPOOK'S 6AME
IS...BUT I'LL
l PL AY ALONG ,

SPURRED &S THE IMMINENCE OF

KIRKS TORTURE, SPOCK CONCEIVES
AN AUDACIOUS ESCAPE SCHEME.
SPOCK!
iOU'VE SAID
ENOUGH!

s SILENCE!
WEIL HEAR THE
VULCAN SPEAK.

'V FACE THE

FACTS, CAPTAIN.
SUBJECTED TO
THE AGONIZER,
YOU'D TELL THEM
EVERYTHING,
k ...ACHILD X
r COULD SEE N YOU KLINGONS
r THE LOGIC IN BOAST OF YOUR
AVOIDING TECHNOLOGY. • •
k TORTURE.

SPOCK IS INTERRUPTED BV McCOV'S VOICE/

HEARD OVER KIRK'S COMMUNICATOR,
NOW IN THE HANDS OF THE
...YET, WHEN
YOU EXAMINED
THE MINE, YOU iLS AC f COME IN PLEASE.
OVERLOOKED 2&W -Wj HELLO ?... JIM ?
THIS... mr* -ov 4 I a? SPOCK...HELLO?
BECAUSE IT
LOOKS LIKE
AN ORDINARY
ELECTRICAL
JUNCTION
x box• s

WABKEWTiM !
v WE'RE NOT 2,io,’et> |
RECEIVING VOU.
THERE'S AN OLD
WRECKED KUNSON
SHIP DOWN RIVER.
...ANPSULU HAS
FOUND DiLITHIUM
ABOARD!

HOSTAGES >
HERE ARE
BEGINNING
TO LOOK LIKE
DEADWEIGHT!
-STAR TR€ie4Jt: WARKENTIN
 BRIDGE TO RESIDUAL CHARGE FROM SHIP'S
EH6INEERIH6 PHASERS FOR A SIH6LE-SURGE
BOOST DIRECTLV INTO THE

' CENC ROODCMCfM

1
ON THE BRIDGE OF THE ENTERPRISE .
CHIEF ENGINEER MONTGOMERY
SCOTT, COMMANDING, HAS HIS
WORK CUT OUT FOR HIM...
u
-STAR TR(EI<S WARKENTIN

IN ORDER TO BEAM UP A QUANTITY

OF 01 LITHIUM FOUND BY DOCTOR
McCOV AND HELMSMAN SULU, WE
ARE TAPPING RESIDUAL CHARGE
FROM SHIP'S PHASERS FORA
SINGLE-SURGE BOOST DIRECTLY
INTO THE TRANSPORTER.

THEY'VE BEEN THAT TZARS IT.1 ■■WE'VE

HERE...THEY GOT TO REACH BONES AND
SMASHED THE SULU BEFORE THEY DO...
RADIO, THEN CAN VOULEND US SOME-
TOOK A BOAT V THING THAT FLIES ?
DOWNRIVER.
comm ah pee, unless
we (SET THAT DILITHIUM-
WITHIN THE HOUH.. YOUP
PEOPLE
DIE!
 SORRY I COULDN'T GIVE
VOU THE FULL TOUR, SULLI -
BUT IF YOU'RE EVER IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD AGAIN

SULU,

THOMAS WAgKSNTlN

| ONTHEBRIP6E ..
r AS HEAD OF • AND I SUGGEST THAT UHURA,OPEN
SECURITY,YOUR IN FUTURE , VOU DO NOT A CHANNEL TO
PERSONAL SAFETY BEAM DOWN WITHOUT A THE KLINGON
IS MY PRIMARY SECURITY TEAM TO ER - SHIP. .. I WANT
PROTECT YOU. Jk TO SPEAK TO
THE CAPTAIN

OPINION NOTED,
LIEUTENANT.

I'M RETURNING THEM TO YOU THAT SOUNDED THAT'S ALRIGHT, J SUCH LANGUAGE,
...FOR YOUR DISCIPLINE- LIKE A KLINGON IT'S SOMEWHAT CAPTAIN.' AND YOU
WORD, SIR, BUT ...COLLOQUIAL. HAVEN'T HEARD
THE COMPUTER WHAT ELSE WE'RE .
DOES NOT SENDING YOU ■ A
V TRANSLATE. ,
 WAR KENT! N

I KNOW, SCOT TV, THEY

TEND TO 6A6 ON THE
. "MILK OF HUMAN j
W KINDNESS-: y