STRANGERS FROM THE SKY

Star Trek: Strangers From The Sky
By Margaret Wander Bonanno

A 1987 1.5 hour Simon & Schuster Audio read by:
Leonard Nimoy and George Takei

Leonard McCoy was lost in the 21st century. Not that he minded especially, he got himself stuck between the pages of a history book he couldn't put down. Like most humans McCoy thought he knew all about how the Vulcans first came to Earth, but that was before he read Strangers From The Sky. The author's foreword gave some clue about what was to come: Every Federation's schoolchild knows that earthmen's first encounter with alien life was the result of an Earth's ship mission to Alpha Centaury in the year 2048. The establishment of peaceful relations between these two safely humanoid worlds made it easy for terrenes to overcome residual fear of "little green men". The first encounter with Vulcans according to official sources came about nearly 20 years later when the Earth ship Emedy rescued a disabled Vulcan craft drift in the Solar system in 2065. Despite vast philosophical and cultural differences and a simple strangeness about this "non-human race" the encounter with the Centaurians nearly two decades before made it possible for earthmen to free themselves of prejudice and fear. The alliance between Earth and Vulcan has virtually been untroubled since. The facts are all readily available for us in history tapes and the Emedy's ship's log. Yet another sub congratulatory example of how human altruism reached across the barriers of difference to offer the hand of friendship, except that it didn't happen that way at all...

In the South Pacific an orange light is seen by a farmer's wife at night. The next morning she discovers a space craft. So far ships went to recent colonies on Mars and to bases on the moon. As Tatja approaches the area she finds two people dead and two unconscious.

A ship is searching the waters: Something went down last night which did not come from Earth. Being asked why they are searching alone the ship's captain, Jason, answers: The fewer people to know about this the less people have to be... reeducated.

Tatja notices an unfamiliar shape of ears and slighted eyebrows with the people she found. And... green blood. She and her husband take them home and tend to their patients. Sura, one of the patients, addresses her apologizing for causing inconvenience. "I mean no intrusion." Tatja looks at him like a sleepwalker. She finds him so beautiful. "How do you feel?" she manages to ask referring to his concussion. Sura knows about humans and that they do not have self healing abilities. Trying not to confuse them he simply says: "That is not a fact any more. I am called Sura and this is T'Lara, my mother and commander of this vessel." Sura reaches out - for the first human-alien handshake. "Who are you?" Taja asks. Sura begins to explain. Joshie, her husband, wonders: Why not try to save your ship but trying to destroy it?" Sura explains: "We did not wish to frighten you, to create controversy." Joshie asks about the accident. Sura understands that humans need to make sure that there is no need for fear. "We have orbited your world for 47 of your days when the thrusters began malfunctioning. In another three we would have completed our studies." He explains that they had to obey the order of self destruction.

"Destruction before Detection" was the instruction well known by any Vulcan commander. This necessity has been decided on 117.15 years ago after the Vulcans first examined populated areas near their planet. "It is our purpose to study these worlds with the view of the time when first contacts are practicable without giving any evidence that we ourselves exist."

Kirk is left with staff meetings and paper work while Spock has command on the Enterprise training his cadets. Kirk takes out the book McCoy had pestered him to read: Strangers from the Sky.
At the Enterprise Spock kneels in meditation. He is trying to find out the truth about what he read in the book Strangers from the Sky.
For days Kirk is haunted by nightmares. After three nights he knows all the characters in the book Strangers from the Sky McCoy gave him to read. He knows them all personally after all those dreams he had.

Jason's ship has reached the shore Tatja and Joshie are living. Joshie, a friend of Jason, swears to him: "If it was you, o.k., but as for the people you are working for, the media..." he gestures helplessly. "I can't let that happen to them." Jason hears "them". More than one, living and intelligent. "How many of ‘them' are there?" "Two" Joshie says, though he had not meant to say anything. "Are they like us?" "They are better, ... I can't describe them."

...

The captains meet. Spock understands Kirk. He has got the same nightmares as Kirk had. While human's first contact with aliens ended in peaceful coexistence and co-working their dreams show a violent ending with endless wars. Spock is sure: He and Kirk were participants. Kirk agrees. He is sure that Ann Mitchell also was.

Spock begins a mind meld: My mind to your mind, my thought top your thoughts, what I am to what you are.
Spock remembers that the sacredness of the mind meld is secured.

 ...

Ann Mitchell, Elisabeth Data, Kelso, Spock and Kirk go for a mission. From their dreams they know a place, a planet. They go for it. There they encounter a strange sorcerer, Panem. As they look for Earth with the help of the sorcerer's devices two Vulcans are discovered there – twenty years before the official date of contact. With the help of Panem Kelso breaks into the central computer to create identity documents for their planned visit.

 ...

Terrorists overhear conversations concerning the alien visitors and soon news about the landing of three headed monsters and other stories flood the news.

 ...

On earth Kirk and the group gain access to T'Lara and Sura who were held at a military institution. They are in Tatja's and Joshie's company.

They manage an adventurous escape. T'Lara and Sura are brought back to Vulcan. All involved agree to keep quiet about the incident and people are informed that all what happened in the South Pacific was a test to find out whether people were ready for an encounter with eventual aliens.

Panem returns Kirk, Spock and the group to their time and on earth Tatja and Joshie begin teaching to prepare people for eventual contacts with aliens.

Spock meets a young boy who hands him a piece he had needed on earth to gain access to an institution. Spock is sure: If that boy had been some decades older and worn the sorcerer's gown, he would have known him well.