A plague has been ravaging the planet Eeiauo, a world of cat-like beings, and the Enterprise has come to try to contain it before it kills all the Eeiauoans or spreads to other planets. Years earlier, Uhura had befriended a diplomat from Eeiauo, and the two women had exchanged songs as an intimate bond, swearing never to reveal them to anyone. But the only hope for a cure may lie in the song given to Uhura, and they must penetrate its layers of mystery if there's any hope for Eeiauo, or the Enterprise.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One
Captain's Log, Stardate 2950.3:
The Enterprise continues in orbit around Eeiauo, on the outermost fringe of Federation space. At McCoy's recommendation, Starfleet has placed the world under quarantine. The Enterprise will remain here to enforce that quarantine until the arrival of a Federation task force, specialists in epidemiology and in enforcement.
Dr. McCoy and Nurse Chapel have elected to beam down with the medical team we transported to aid the Eeiauoans in their desperate fight against the plague that is devastating their world -- a plague they call "The Long Death."
Personal Log, James T. Kirk, Stardate 2950.3:
Bones, at least, has something useful to do. Ile rest of us can only sit and listen, as more and more Eeiauoans are struck down. Over a quarter of the population now has ADF syndrome. If only the Eeiauoans had asked for help sooner!
I told Bones of our frustration. His response was predictable...
"You're frustrated! By God, Jim!" McCoy let his exasperated words hang for a moment, then he stepped slightly to one side.
"Bozhe moi," breathed Pavel Chekov as he watched the viewscreen; it was nothing less than a prayer. To Kirk's right, Lieutenant Uhura gave a small wordless gasp.
Even a clinical knowledge of ADF syndrome left Jim Kirk unprepared for the view behind McCoy. Consciously, he knew the miles that separated him from the scene, but he was still hard put not to take an involuntary step backward.
He saw row after row after row of the circular Eeiauoan hospital beds, each one occupied. The victims of ADF were no longer recognizably Eeiauoan: they lay as if dead, their furless bodies covered with raw, oozing lesions. From Bones's briefing, Jim Kirk knew that, given adequate intravenous feeding and similar maintenance, they could survive in this state for years. If you call this survival, he thought. Seeing them, he didn't.
Those in the early, ambulatory stage of the disease hunched in their pain, brushed away their loosening fur and carried on the work of maintaining the others.
The Eeiauoans had not asked the Federation for assistance until they no longer had the power to help themselves.
McCoy blocked the view again.
"Sorry, Bones," Kirk said, when he found his voice. "That was a stupid thing for me to say."
McCoy shook his head. "The Eeiauoan doctors have dealt with two previous outbreaks of ADF syndrome and never bothered to call in Federation help before. It wasn't bad enough, they tell me. Wasn't bad enough! Jim, they lost twenty thousand people in the last one!" He himself looked on the verge of collapse, but Kirk was relieved to see that he still had the energy for righteous indignation.
"Are you making any progress, Bones?"
McCoy snorted. "'Progress.' If that's a polite way of askin' have we found a cure yet, the answer is no. Nor have we cobbled together a vaccine in our copious spare time. Give me all the time in the world and the greatest scientists and doctors in history and even then I couldn't promise you results, dammit. I can't command a scientific breakthrough."
He drew a long breath, his shoulders slumped. "I wish to hell I could. They're good people." With a flash of his old humor, he added, " -- for overgrown house cats."
"Is there anything we can do, anything at all?"
"You're supposed to be enforcin' the quarantine, not breakin' it. No, I don't want anyone else down here. The best you could do is carry bedpans, and robots do that well enough. And they, at least, are immune to ADF syndrome."
"Bones, when was the last time you heard of a disease that affects two species as different as humans and Eeiauoans?"
"Rabies," said McCoy curtly. At Kirk's questioning look, he added, by way of explanation, "An ancient Earth disease -- it did indeed affect two species as different as..." He waved his hand. "The planet's under quarantine, Jim, and I don't want to hear any more about it."
A tall Eeiauoan tapped McCoy lightly on the shoulder with a claw tip. He turned. "Yes, Quickfoot?"
Quickfoot of Srallansre, the Eeiauoan doctor McCoy had been working with since their arrival, was obviously in the first stage of ADF syndrome. Each movement she made was stiff with pain. Her gray-striped fur was already thinning and dingy. Her nictitating membranes, discolored and swollen, partially obstructed her vision. Although she did not yet have the characteristic pained hunched posture, Kirk suspected it was from force of will only.
McCoy accepted a sheaf of papers from her. "Get some rest, dammit, Quickfoot," he said irritably. "Finish that later."
Quickfoot shook her head stiffly. "Too ssoon, too much resst, McCCoy. Work now. There is no later." She limped away.
McCoy wiped his face and eyes. "Damn cat hair," he muttered, "gets in everything." Kirk nodded, accepting the fiction. After a pause, McCoy straightened and said, "I have some more information for Mr. Spock."
Casting a quick, puzzled glance at his chief science officer, Kirk said, "I thought we transhipped a hold fun of medical computers?"
McCoy muttered a response.
"How's that, Bones?" Jim Kirk was quite sure he had heard McCoy correctly -- but baiting McCoy was a habit of long standing and seemed to restore a measure of normality even in such grotesque circumstances as these.
McCoy scowled. "I said," and this time he enunciated each word clearly, "I'd rather trust Spock."
At Spock's raised eyebrow, McCoy scowled again. Then, very rapidly, to change the subject, he said, "How's Sulu?"
The forced inaction these past few weeks had given everyone time to return to hobbies or create new ones from sheer desperation. Sulu had found McCoy's substitute, Dr. Evan Wilson, a fencing partner his equal -- or better. Hard-pressed during a recent match with her, he had tripped and, against all odds, broken his ankle.
The thought of Wilson touched a nerve. Privately, Jim Kirk resented her presence on behalf of the Enterprise's own medical staff. It was not the first time Starfleet Command had shown such a lack of judgment however, and he was not about to mention his feelings in public. Morale was low enough already; it would not do to have his crew questioning their acting chief medical officer. He said, "Sulu's fine. Dr. Wilson says he'll be up and around in no time."
"'Up and around'? How did she get him to stay down?"
Until Bones's question, it hadn't occurred to him to wonder. Jim Kirk spread his hands and glanced at his chief science officer inquiringly.
Spock said, "I believe she learned her bedside manner from you, Doctor."
"What d'you mean by that, Spock?"
"I mean, Dr. McCoy, that she used a purely emotional approach." Spock's features were innocent of expression.
Now openly suspicious, McCoy growled, "I'm waiting, Mr. Spock."
Spock raised an eyebrow, presumably at McCoy's display of impatience, then said, "Dr. Wilson was heard to tell Mr. Sulu that if he did not stay off his injured leg, she would -- I quote -- break the other one for him."
Jim Kirk gave an inward cheer. He could not have delivered the tale half so well himself, and for the life of him, he couldn't tell if Spock had done it intentionally.
Intentional or not, the story, or Spock's delivery, actually brought a surprised chuckle from McCoy. He gave Spock a wary look, then turned back to Kirk, and said, "Feisty little thing, isn't she? Keep your eye on her, Jim. What she lacks in height, she makes up in brass. Get her to tell you how Scotty and I met her. Might give you a laugh and, God knows, we could all use a few."
Then his brief smile faded and there was a long moment's silence. Kirk could see McCoy's mind turning back to the desperateness of the problem he faced. McCoy, s --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great model for inter-cultural dialogue,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Uhura's Song (Star Trek21) (Mass Market Paperback)
Of all the Original Series Trek novels I've read (and that's a LOT!), I rank this one in my Top 10 for good writing, excellent plotting, and a thought-provoking presentation of what a successful intercultural dialogue should be like. The book has a universal appeal and a very good message, even if you're not a Trekkie or an SF fan. In my opinion, it could even be used as outside reading for a course in multiculturism. The way Kagan's characters handle each other's differences certainly beats some of the, er, shall we say, less-than-successful "first contacts" I've experienced as a Hasidic Jew living in rural Minnesota, where "that's different" is local codespeak for disapproval. We can all learn a lot about mutual respect from this book, where both sides discuss what their behavioral "norms" and expectations are. As Stiff Tail explains to her humanoid visitors, there is no "of course" when it comes to local customs. Although the main plot is about finding a cure for a devastating plague that is killing both Eaouans and humans, the real strength of this story lies in the exchange of ideas, songs, customs (and sometimes taboos) between the Enterprise crew and the cat-like alien beings on the planet Sivao. Being a cat lover myself, I found Kagan's portrayal of the felinoid culture to be internally consistent and believably grounded in the real behaviors of cats. Feline characters have appeared in Trek before (such as crewperson M'ress in the animated series, and Snarl, who also makes an appearance here), but this was the first book to explore the cultural possibilities in any depth. Because this novel came relatively early in the Trek series (it's only #21 in a list of hundreds), it helped set a high standard for IDIC in future stories about alien societies. I also liked the central role that Uhura plays in this story. In the Original Series, she sang in a number of episodes, setting the scene for her musical accomplishments in this tale. Having learned certain "secret" songs from her Eaouan friend, Sunfall of-Ennien, Uhura discovers clues in the ancient ballads that lead the crew to Sivao, the original homeworld of Sunfall's ancestors. There, Uhura is honored as a bard for her singing abilities, and this leads to another private song-swap with the local bard. Not only does this exchange help solve the puzzle of the origins of the plague, it fulfills a healing prophecy as well. To tell you any more would ruin a very good read. So nu, enjoy it for yourself!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderfully engaging characters,
By
This review is from: Uhura's Song (Star Trek21) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is, without any question, my favorite Star Trek novel. You may very well like it even if you don't generally read Star Trek novels. I have read my old copy to shreds and will be ordering a new one soon. The characters in this book are wonderful - intriguing and full of surprises, yet internally consistant. She manages to retain the flavors of the core Trek characters, and yet show us a different side of them. And Evan is magnificent. I want to meet her! The different world-views that the various characters have are, as Spock would say, fascinating. The plot has several threads running through it. The main one has to do with finding a cure for a devastating plague. In addition there is a thread about what it means to be a grown-up and the ramifications of being different. There is suspense in plentiful supply in both lines. Ms. Kagan challenges the readers' assumptions in many ways, and as result provides a great deal more substance in her books than most authors manage. Her books are fun, as well. Her other books (Hellspark and Mirabile) and her short stories are equally good. My only complaint is that she is not prolific. However, if one has to wait a bit longer for such high quality and entertaining books, then wait I will. Ms. Kagan has expressed her appreciation of James Schmitz, and if you have not read any of his work, and you enjoy this book, you might want to try his work, as well. There is a new set of compilations of his work coming out; 2 volumes published and 1 or 2 more to come.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Takes Trek somewhere wonderful, with great guest characters,
By A Customer
This review is from: Uhura's Song (Star Trek, No 21) (Mass Market Paperback)
Set against an epidemic reminiscent of Earth's own AIDS crisis, Janet Kagan's imaginative story about a house divided against itself takes the original crew on an adventure not quite like any other. Lt. Uhura plays a major part in both the setup and the action; Mr. Scott is moved to take command matters into his own hands on behalf of friends new (from the planet Sivao) and old (the missing command bridge crew members). A doctor who isn't named McCoy "bedevils" Spock well beyond the point of "fascination." Captain Kirk falls for the female chief of an alien culture -- although not in his usual fashion -- and Mr. Chekov provides an unexpected but crucial bit of information toward the eventual success of the mission. The book feels like a lost episode, or a movie begging to be made; the interchange of cultures, customs and beings can hardly fail to please a fan of the original series.
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