Director: Marc Daniels
Story By: Don M. Mankiewicz
Writers: Don M. Mankiewicz and Stephen W. Carabatsos

Captain Kirk: William Shatner
Science Officer, First Officer, Cmdr. Spock: Leonard Nimoy
Dr. Leonard "Bones" Mc Coy: DeForest Kelly
Lt. Sulu: George Takei
Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott: James Doohan
Lieutenant Uhura: Nichelle Nichols

Commodore Stone: Percy Rodriguez
Lt. Comm. Benjamin Finney Richard Webb
Jamie Finney: Alice Rawlings
Samuel T. Cogley: Elisha Cook, Jr.
Lt. Areel Shaw: Joan Marshall
Lieutenant Hansen: Hagan Beggs

Stardate 2947.3

Starbase 11
The Enterprise is in for repairs caused in an ion storm. In Kirk's report the circumstances of Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney's death are reported to Commodore Stone. The records need to be watched and as Spock brings the computer visual tape he tries to warn Kirk: The tape shows Kirk jettisoning the pod Finney was in during yellow alert. But before he can do so the tape is watched. Kirk is sure to have warned Finney at yellow alert and only pressed the button at red alert. Kirk now stands trial for possible court-martial for the death of Finney. 

Jamie, Finney's daughter accuses Kirk of having murdered her father. The prosecutor Lt. Areel Shaw is an old girlfriend of Kirk's. She clearly tells him that it is her duty to get him convicted. For his defense Samuel T. Cogley comes in. Though both believe Kirk could not possible have misjudged the moment, both know as well how tough it will be to win against obvious prove. Spock does his best to witness for the captain, but he, too, cannot alter the fact shown on the tape. On board of the Enterprise he has been confronted by McCoy about playing chess against the computer while his friend and captain is on trial. Now Spock explains that he has won several games straight. There is no way he could have achieved that in case the computer was operating normally. Suddenly McCoy's interested in Spock's chess games. 

They try to find a way to use this knowledge for their friend. Later Spock is called back in the witness seat and appears with the information about the malfunction of the computer. Cogley relates the findings to the case and convinces the jury reconvene on board the U.S.S. Enterprise. On board Spock explains that someone has tampered with the computer, adjusting its memory. When asked who had the access and the knowledge to re -program the computer, Spock names himself, Kirk or Records Officer Ben Finney. 

Cogley then suggests that Finney is still alive and hiding somewhere on the U.S.S. Enterprise. It is stated that they had had an extensive search going on. Cogley makes it clear that a person only can be found if he wants to be found. Preparations have been made to eliminate all sounds on the Enterprise. Except the transporter attendant all crew is beamed down. The jury on the bridge now only hears one kind of sounds – heartbeats. Dr. McCoy goes to each person using a device to eliminate the sound of his/her heartbeat, too. In the end everybody's heartbeat is subtracted from the sound sources and still a heartbeat is heard – Finney is on board and alive. Finney is found and tells Kirk that he hates him for having reported a mistake of his while they were in training, hindering his carrier for a long time. Finney now has faked his own death to discredit Kirk. A fight begins and Kirk wins. Ben Finney will now be defended by Cogley.