The Human Factor


Summary
"Captain's log, stardate 96.024. It's been an exhausting, but rewarding, time for the starship Enterprise. Meeting intelligent dinosaurs, fighting a super-criminal, and defeating the Romulans has thrilled each and every one of us, but it has tired us out, too. So it is now a pleasure to comply with Starfleet Command's order to bring a new member of the Federation back to their home in the Garr system, while giving them a tour of our mighty ship. The ambassadors from the planet Garrus seem harmless enough, their child-like size and innocent faces have charmed almost everyone, but sometimes they seem just a little too harmless."

Gardis, the leading ambassador from Garrus, meets with Captain Kirk, and points out that Dr. McCoy has shown them sickbay, Spock has shown them crew quarters and recreation areas, Scott has shown them the engine room, Sulu the laboratories, and Chekov the transporter room. He asks to see the computer, finding the "machine brains most fascinating". Kirk assigns Uhura to the task at their request, especially since he will be busy planning the orbit about their planet. Spock contacts Kirk, asking him to report to the bridge, as they are approaching the planet. Kirk responds, asking Spock to have Uhura report to the ambassadors immediately. 

On the bridge, Kirk expresses relief at their approach, commenting that the Garrusians were a bit hard to deal with and that "you find yourself either apologizing or forgiving them". The rest of the bridge crew, other than Scott, agree with the sentiment. Suddenly the alarm sounds as a shuttlecraft is reported missing by security officer Frank Tanka. He also reports that the ambassadors and Uhura are missing.

Despite McCoy's misgivings, Kirk beams down to the planet with Spock, Chekov, and Sulu. On the planet, they arrive in Gartin, home to the "famous Mile-long Hall of Worship". There, they meet Garmin, the president of Garrus. They enter the hall, marveling at its size. Garmin notes that their riches and real estate is for Federation use, it is only a matter of trade. When Kirk tells Garmin of their mission to find Uhura, Garmin tells him that he is sure that Gardis and Uhura are alright, and that it must be a big mistake.

They enter a large room, where Garmin tells them to enjoy themselves, telling them that it is "just a token of [their] belief and worship of the almighty Master."  Kirk demands Uhura's return. Garmin is stunned at his knowledge, and Kirk reveals that he spoke too much earlier in the conversation, knowing Uhura's name before Kirk told him. Garmin tells them that Uhura is with the Master and that they will never get her back. As Kirk contacts Scotty to beam down the security detail with Tanka, Garmin orders the away team subdued. Sulu and Chekov are quickly disabled, but Spock and Kirk manage to escape into the hall, where Spock spots a huge locked door. They pick the lock and open the door into an enormous room.

Inside the room, they discover that it is filled with computers, the "greatest array of scientific equipment" Spock has ever seen. On one viewscreen, they spot Gardis wearing religious robes and conducting a ceremony. Behind him stand Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu. They are being given to the Master. It turns out that the Garusians worship the huge computer as their god, and that they were using the Humans to manage the computer, something that they were forbidden to discuss with any outsider. Kirk promises to have the Federation send computer experts to assist them.

Memorable quotes
"Captain, please. The Vulcan race is known for more than our mind blocks and nerve pinches. When my race is faced with a problem, we pride ourselves on solving it."
"You mean, you're going to pick the lock?"
"A crude way of putting it captain. I prefer the idea that I'm going to discover the necessary secret to unlock the door."
 - Spock and Kirk, arguing semantics

Background information

Releases
 This story was released three times during the Peter Pan Records run. It could be found on Records #15, #19, and #22.

Nitpicks
 Like other later releases in the Peter Pan Records series, the Stardate used does not correspond to the standard format for the dating system.

Characters

 James T. Kirk  Enterprise captain
 Spock Enterprise exec and science officer
 Leonard McCoy  Enterprise surgeon
 Hikaru Sulu  Enterprise helmsman
 Uhura  Enterprise communications officer
 Pavel Chekov  A security officer
 Frank Tanka  A security officer 
 Gardis  An ambassador from Garrus
 Garmin  The President of Garrus
 The Master  The God of Garrus. It is a massive computer. It is worshiped in the Mile-long Hall of Worship.

References
 Garr system  A star system which includes the planet Garrus.
 Garrus  A large lush planet in the Garr system. It has an almost equal amount of land space and water space. Garrus is the homeworld of the Garrusians.
 Garrusians  A species with characteristic child-like size, and "innocent faces." They are new members of the Federation.
 The Articles of the Federation  
 Mile-long Hall of Worship  A large rich hall. Even greater than the palace in Russia. It is a temple in honor of the Master, where the Garrusians worship him. Inside is a door made of six feet of steel, and closed with a mechanical combination lock.
 Federation science base Gamma Three 
 Starfleet central computer 

Human Factor, The