"As Others See Us" is a Star Trek short story, a TOS adventure published in the Constellations anthology.
Summary
Aboard the sailing ship Enai-ra, Admiral Deyin Kaiyel-Ned leads her Yemai merchant fleet toward the Ilaiyen Archipelago on the planet Sigma Niobe II. Also aboard is an
landing party consisting of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Lieutenant Theresa Errgang from archaeology and anthropology, and security Lieutenant Jerome Chaane, all disguised as natives of the planet. Deyin plans to present her crew to the Ilaiyenai as traders, concealing their interest in the archipelago's rumored healing powers. Parties from the Enai-ra row ashore in canoes. The natives confirm that they have no sick people, but are uninterested in trading with the Yemai. Captain Nohin Yiamed-Ba and her crewmen attempt to intimidate the islanders by firing rifles at them, and a battle ensues. Kirk and the others swim to shore and help the wounded. McCoy discovers that an injured woman is an android, which the other Ilaiyenai are not.
The android was being controlled from a bunker by Glysinek, a member of the Redheri Trade Consortium. The Redheri are non-humanoid aliens who use android telepresence probes to interact with other species, slowly preparing them for contact by introducing the idea of alien life into their cultures. Two other Redheri, Nerrieb and Hudalliuc, approach the Enterprise party with their robot bodies, and Nerrieb explains their presence. Kirk accuses them of manipulating the Ilaiyenai's culture and threatens to have the Federation protect the planet from the Consortium. When other islanders arrive, Nerrieb accuses Kirk's group of killing the "dead" woman.
Damala, the island matriarch, arrives with the Ilaiyenai who were killed in the battle but have come back to life. She reveals that her people have advanced nanotechnology given to them by aliens who have traded openly with them for a thousand years. The nanites heal illness and injuries and allow the islanders to communicate with their alien benefactors. Damala uses the nanites to melt the weapons carried by the Yemai and the Starfleet officers and tells all three groups of visitors to leave.
The landing party beams back up to the Enterprise. The colony of the Coalescence observing events from inside Errgang disperses itself, the Coalescence's whole having decided that the peoples of the Federation are still too attached to the concept of self for contact with its group mind. Chaane, who is from the future, reflects that the Coalescence will come into open contact with the Federation sooner than it thinks.
References
Characters
- Jerome Chaane • Damala • Theresa Errgang (Teyar Risar-Gan) • Glysinek • Hudalliuc • Isinaki • Deyin Kaiyel-Ned • James T. Kirk (Jeyam Tybris-Kir) • Leonard McCoy (Leyan Ardem-Koi) • Nerrieb • Spock (Seyar Mandas-Pok) • Yanslet • Nohin Yiamed-Ba
- Referenced only
- Ronald Tracey
Starships and vehicles
- Enai-ra (steamship aquatic vessel) • USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser)
Locations
Races and cultures
- Referenced only
- unnamed races and cultures • Tiburonese • Vulcanoid
States and organizations
Other references
- android • Andronesian encephalitis • archaeology and anthropology officer • Ayem-Sud wine • boot • clothing • Federation protectorate • Federation Starfleet ranks (2260s) • Federation Starfleet ranks • government • heliographic code • humanoid • kite • kiteman • lifeform • macroscopic • matter • museum • nanite • nanotechnology • ocean • officer • planet • Prime Directive • races and cultures • rank • robot • science • spacecraft • star • star system • starship • state • sweetfruit • technology • telepresence • title • weapon • woomera
Appendices
Related media
Connections
Timeline
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous story: Chaotic Response |
Constellations |
Next story: See No Evil |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous Adventure: Assignment: Eternity |
Next Adventure: Mind-Sifter | |
External link
- http://www.allyngibson.net/st-const.html - story annotations