The Enterprise chases a vessel of unknown origin. The vessel tries
to run away from the Enterprise, but Captain Kirk stays with him. Mr. Spock reports that the
vessel has no identification beam, and is a Class-J cargo vessel. Kirk asks Uhura if there is
any response from communications. Uhura reports that she has tried to hail him on all
frequencies, but has not responded. She suggests that he might not be able to receive their
message, but Kirk contradicts that he's hearing their message, but is ignoring it. Scotty
soon reports that the pilot is overloading its engines, and will burn up immediately. Spock
reports that the vessel is now entering an asteroid belt, and Kirk orders Farrell to raise the
deflector shields. The cargo vessel's engines soon give out, and Sulu warns that one of the
asteroids may hit him. Farrell suggests that they may be able to extend their deflector shields
around him, but Scotty warns that doing so could damage their own engines. Kirk has no choice,
and orders Farrell to extend the shields around him, and orders Spock and Scotty to the
Transporter Room. Sulu soon reports that the temperature on their engines are running at
critical levels.
------
The Enterprise's shields are extended around the cargo ship, and
the engines on the Enterprise about to go out. Engineering reports that the temperature on the
engines are reaching critical levels, and soon the Bridge becomes momentarily darkened. When
the lights come back on, Sulu reports that one of the lithium crystals are shortened out.
Seconds later, the Bridge becomes darkened again, as another lithium crystals short out. Sulu
reports that are now running on external battery power. Kirk then goes to the science station
and asks Scotty if he has locked onto something. Scotty reports that since there is no signal,
there is nothing to lock onto. Then, another lithium crystals burn out, and Uhura soon reports
that there is a distress signal coming through. Kirk quickly reports to Scotty of the distress
call.
In the Transporter Room, Scotty manages to lock
onto something. He soon beams a sole person onboard. The man is a swashbuckling American hero
type of character, and announces that he is grateful for his rescue and asks where he finds
himself. McCoy reports that he is on the USS Enterprise, and the fella is thrilled at the fine
ship. The man soon identifies himself as Captain Leo Walsh. Soon, Kirk contacts the Transporter
Room and asks how many Scotty managed to beam aboard. Scotty reports that he only managed to
beam one person aboard. Spock soon asks if there are other crewmembers onboard, and Captain
Walsh reports that there are three more onboard. Scotty manages to lock onto the other three,
but have difficulty transporting them, due to the lithium crystal power shortage. On the
Bridge, Kirk watches with dismay as one of the asteroids hits the ship. Kirk reports to Scotty
of the impending doom, and Scotty tries desperately to beam the remaining cargo onboard. Soon,
Scotty manages to lock onto something and beam it aboard. Scotty beams aboard three lovely
ladies, and soon the effects of their loveliness has a deep effect on them. Spock is effected
at first, but he is able to brush it off with his Vulcan blood. Soon, Captain Kirk's voice
filters through the comm-system, asking Scotty if they successfully transported everyone
onboard. Scotty and McCoy are too busy transfixed on the new arrivals. It is Spock who brings
them back to Earth, as he asks Leo Walsh if that is everyone from the ship. Leo confirms it is.
Since neither Scotty nor McCoy can answer the captain, Spock answers Kirk himself, and states
that they've received four new personnel. Kirk soon orders Spock to bring the party and Captain
Leo Walsh to his quarters to answer the charges for their navigational hazard. Spock soon leads
Leo Walsh and the girls outside the corridors, where Scotty and McCoy's eyes follow them.
As Spock leads them through the corridors of the
Enterprise, every male crewmember stares at awe at the new arrivals, as if drugged or
something. Spock is unaffected and moves swiftly through to the Turbolift. Soon, Captain Leo
Walsh catchs onto Spock's ineffective behavior. He asks Spock if he is part Vulcanian. Spock
doesn't answer, but he doesn't have to, as Walsh quickly knows that he is Vulcan. He soon asks
the girls not to try, as Spock will not budge, but the girls try their hardest. Soon, Spock
enters the captain's quarters and inform him that their guests have arrived. When Kirk turns
around to angrily bark at Walsh, he finds three beautiful ladies, and have the same effect as
that of McCoy, Scotty and his shipmates. Soon, however, the captain is able to brush off the
ladies effects and asks the captain if that is all of his crewmember. Leo confirms it is, and
soon he excuses the ladies and Spock, as he would like to discuss their situation.
------
After Spock and the girls leave, Kirk asks hard questions to Captain
Leo Walsh. He asks the captain why he was being a navigational menance, and why he wasn't
carrying any identification marks of any kind. Walsh simply laughs off his charges, saying that
he wasn't a navigational menance in this immense galaxy. Captain Kirk simply will not budge, as
he charges Leo Walsh with those crimes and says that there will be a hearing convened on the
ship, and Mr. Spock will provide Captain Leo Walsh with his full legal rights. Later, on the
Bridge, Farrell and Sulu enter to take up their duty. Farrell is obviously hypnotized by Walsh's
women that have boarded, which is effecting every male member of the ship's crew. Sulu tries to
snap Farrell out of his haze, and says that they are on duty now. Soon, Scotty goes to Spock and
informs him that they have a problem. Spock asks how the lithium crystals are doing, and Scotty
answers that they only have one crystal left and that they are running on battery reserves.
Spock calls Captain Kirk to the Bridge.
Meanwhile, in the Briefing Room, Captain Leo Walsh
enters to a mix of confused women. The captain asks the security guards to excuse themselves,
but the security guards stays put, as it is part of their duty. The women would like to know
what will happen to them at the briefing, and they are scared that the computer will detect
their true identity. Walsh reminds them the computers cannot do such a thing, and then the
women bring up another matter. They are meant to be going in the opposite direction, and to be
settled on a planet to be wives. One of the women soon slip the man's real name, accidentally,
and we learn that his real name is Harry. He has been lying all along.
Back on the Bridge, Captain Kirk arrives at the
request of Mr. Spock. Kirk is given grave news regarding their current situation. Scotty
informs them that they only have three days worth of power left, and that they must replenish
their supplies immediately. Kirk is open to suggestions, and soon Spock informs his captain
that there is a mining colony on Rigel XII that can provide them with the lithium crystals they
need. Rigel XII is about fourteen hours away and Kirk asks Scotty if the Enterprise can get them
there. Scotty says that it can, but they won't be able to maintain their orbit for long. Spock
then informs Kirk that Farrell has already inputted the planet into the ship's computer, and
awaits Kirk's orders. Kirk then decides to set course for Rigel XII.
As the Enterprise heads for Rigel XII to gather
lithium crystals, a hearing is convened onboard ship to determine the fate of Captain Leo Walsh
and his girls. Kirk orders Spock to begin the hearing, after laying down the carges of Captain
Leo Walsh. He warns Walsh not to lie, as the computer can detect his fallibility. Spock soon
activates the computer, and asks the captain his name. When he says his name as Captain Leo
Walsh, the comptuer immediately knows he's lying. Walsh wants the captain's reassurance's that
he won't believe a tin-plated circuitry over a flesh-and-blood being. The two do not budge, and
Spock asks the question again. His full name is revealed as Harcourt Fenton Mudd. Kirk soon
asks the lying captain of his past prior offenses, and Mudd says that he has none. The computer
soon detects his false presumptions, and displays Mudd's past convictions on-screen. Captain
Kirk then asks Mudd what his original flight plan was, and Mudd explains that he was on his way
to Ophiucus III to settle the women as wives for the colonists. Kirk is stunned at this
revelation, and Eve, one of the women, explains that the men on that planet need wives for
companionship. Soon, Kirk asks the computer to detect any unusual readings on the women, but
the computer finds no reading. However, the computer does detect unusual readings among the
male crewmembers, especially high respiration, increased heart beat. Kirk soon asks Mudd if
there's anything unusual in the women, and Mudd dismisses such claims, saying that they're
harmless. After much consideration, Kirk decides to charge Mudd with the offenses, and send him
to the nearest legal authority at their convenience. As soon as Kirk and his party leave the
Briefing Room, the girls try to get Kirk to change his mind, but to no avail. Soon, another
power failure causes the final lithium crystals to burn out, and Kirk orders Scotty to get them
to Rigel XII immediately. Soon, Mudd devises a plan to get the captain to follow his orders,
instead of him.
------
While the Enterprise continues its course to Rigel XII, Kirk is
worried about the effects Mudd's womens have on his crewmembers. Soon, we see one of the women
has acquired a communicator, from an infatuated Farrell. And another of Mudd's women, Ruth,
enters McCoy's sickbay, and McCoy instantly excuses one of his physicians. Ruth soon coaxes
McCoy to reveal the number of settlers on Rigel XII, and at the same time, confusing McCoy with
his medical scanners. Eveytime Ruth steps in front of the scanners, the scanner goes bleep,
bleep, which isn't supposed to do that. Ruth soon wonders that if McCoy will give the miners a
physical once they beam down, and McCoy states that if its necessary, and soon Ruth wonders how
many miners are on the planet. McCoy answers that there are three.
As Kirk retires to his quarters, he sees one of the
other women, Eve, lying on his bed. Eve tries to convince Kirk to release Mudd and them, as
Mudd didn't commit any serious crimes. She uses her infatuation techniques similar to the other
women, but Kirk does not budge. It is obvious that she will not get what she wants with Kirk,
and Kirk strongly rejects Eve. In Mudd's quarters, Magda returns with a stolen communicator,
and informs Mudd how it works. Soon, Ruth informs Mudd that there are three miners on Rigel
XII, and that their names are Ben Childress, Herm Gossett, and Benton. Childress is the
planet's leader. Then, Eve enters, informing Mudd that she doesn't like what she's become. She
didn't like coaxing the captain and soon, Eve doesn't feel good, noting that it is time.
The Enterprise soon makes orbit of Rigel XII, and
Kirk orders Farrell for a pre-orbital approach. He becomes upset when he had to give the order
twice, and soon asks Scotty how much power they have. Scotty informs the captain that they only
have enough power for three orbits, and after that, they will start to plummet down to the
planet. Soon, after receiving the dreadful news, Kirk asks McCoy about Mudd's women. McCoy
answers that he hasn't seen anything like it before, and is puzzled by them all. Especially
when one of them made his scanners go bleep, bleep. Soon, Uhura notes that the leader of the
miners, Ben Childress, is making communication with the ship, and Kirk orders Childress to his
ship, to discuss their arrangements.
Back in Mudd's quarters, the women's true nature is
revealed, as Ruth, Magda and Eve all appear haggish and old. Ruth asks Harry to hurry up and
find the contraband that he's been hiding, as she doesn't want to look like this. Mudd
feverishly look for the contraband that he hid, and soon he finds it hidden under a mattress.
He gives the girls a little crystalline pill, and soon Ruth and the others start to revert to
their beautiful form.
Later, in the Briefing Room, Spock shows Kirk the
burnt out crystals, and soon Ben Childress, along with Herm Gossett arrive to discuss their
matter. Soon, Childress gets to the point saying that he won't deal unless they take a look at
Mudd's women. Kirk is taken aback, and is unsure how Childress knew. He also says that Kirk
should release Mudd into their custody, or there will be no deal. Soon, Mudd and his women enter
the Briefing Room, and Childress and Gossett are smitten with love as has every Enterprise
crewmembers. Soon, Harry informs Kirk that he will make the deal, otherwise he will make the
ship plummet down into the planet.
------
Kirk, Spock and Mudd beam down to the planet's almost inhospitable
surface to begin negotiations with Childress. They soon enter their compound, and Kirk orders
Childress to give up the crystals. He says that he will pay an equitable price for them, but
Childress won't budge. He wants Mudd's women. Soon, the landing party can see that this is
taking them nowhere, and that Childress's men are captivated by Mudd's women. The men and the
women all dance to an invisible music, and Childress tries to coax Eve into dancing. When she
refuses, Childress snatches Magda away from Gossett. When the two are about to fight, Spock and
Kirk come to the rescue, and soon Eve runs away, saying that she is horrified by her existence.
Kirk and Childress give chase in Rigel's dustcloud.
After Kirk fails to find Eve, he beams back aboard
ship to use the ship's powerful infrared sensors and global positioning system. This also
causes the problem of more power drain, and Scott says that they only have about thirty minutes
of power left. Back on the planet, Childress is successful in finding Eve, and takes her to his
own quarters. Soon, the Enterprise sensors pick up Childress in his compound, and Kirk and Mudd
soon prepare to beam back down to reveal the truth about Mudd's women.
In Childress's quarters, Childress wakes up after
being exhausted from tracking Eve down. He soon sees her cooking and doesn't like what he sees.
He says that he cooks his own meals, and balks at the taste of Eve's cooking. It seems clear
that Childress doesn't want Eve as his bride, and doesn't like to take orders from a woman.
Later, Childress hangs his dishes in the dust-storm, upon suggestion from Eve. He enters his
compound to see Eve playing cards, and gets upset when Eve suggests that he doesn't want her at
all. Soon, Kirk and Mudd enter Childress's compound to address the truth about Eve's true
appearance. Mudd states that Eve is not really beautiful on the outside, and that Mudd has been
giving them Venus drugs to look beautiful. Childress does not believe this, and thought Venus
drugs were a myth, but soon Mudd produces the drugs. Eve soon takes the drugs, saying that this
is what Childress wants, and not Eve as his wife. Eve soon swallows the drugs, and soon her
beauty takes shape, but Kirk tells Eve that she didn't take the drugs. It was a gellatin based
pill and that her own thought of beauty led her to change, not the drugs. Mudd has duped
Childress, and soon Childress would like time to discuss with Eve about her arrangements to
stay onboard, and will give Kirk his crystals. Mudd, meanwhile, will face a Starfleet judge for
his crimes at their earliest convenience.
After the Enterprise receives their crystals, McCoy
wonders if beauty is only skin-deep, but not emotionally. Spock believes that emotion is
illogical, which torments the crusty doctor, and soon the Enterprise sets course for their next
assignment...
