Captain's log start date 3045.6.

The Enterprise has responded to a call from Earth observation outpost on Cestus 3.

On landing, we have discovered that the outpost has been destroyed.

A landing party from the Enterprise beams down to Cestus 3.

They're expecting fine dining, but what they get

is destruction. The invitation from Commodore Travers was faked. In the wreckage of Cestus

3, they find a survivor, Harold. They also detect inhuman, cold-blooded creatures just over

the horizon. The creatures begin attacking from both ends, the planet, and the ship

in orbit. They seem unbeatable. Kirk orders Sulu to keep the Enterprise safe at all costs,

including abandoning the landing party. Kirk and Spock, dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge their

way across the battlefield to get their hands on a sci-fi mortar, which they use to drive away

the attackers.

Back on the Enterprise, Kirk debriefs Harold, who tells them that they never sent the message that the Enterprise received.

It was a trap!

Kirk constructs a worst-case scenario in his head about the attacker's motivations, and decides to hunt down their ship and destroy it

so that they won't know how soft to target humans are.

The aliens are on a race with the Enterprise, with Kirk playing Captain Ahab, but the aliens as is white whale.

Spot tries to argue against summarily executing the offending ship, but Kirk is all about law and order in this episode.

We have some thuggish ship rolling around here, killing help us calling us. We need to send a message.

The aliens increase their speed and Scotty warns Kirk that the Enterprise won't be able to handle these speeds for long without damage.

Fortunately, the alien ship begins to slow. Kirk excited at the prospect of sending the aliens to space hell is decidedly less excited once the Enterprise begins to slow and lose power to its weapons and engines.

Suddenly, the Metrons reveal themselves as the masters of this sector of space, and they're mad these two vulgar child races are fighting in their backyard.

...