Galaxy 1001D presents

Gotor: The Most Powerful Being Who Ever Lived

Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation and all related characters are owned by CBS, Paramount and Viacom.

It was a peaceful day aboard the starship Enterprise. The mighty Constitution Class Federation starship soared through space at speeds defying twenty-first century imagination. Commander Spock, a tall slender man clad in a blue sweater, black pants and black boots emerged from the elevator doors to enter the bridge. Although Spock appeared perfectly human, anyone who had been to the planet Vulcan could identify Spock as a native of that planet because of his slanted eyebrows and pointed ears.

Although Vulcans are known for their incredible control of their emotions, Spock could not help but be surprised to see Captain James Kirk, his commanding officer and best friend, at the science station that accessed the ship's library and the main sensors. As science officer, that was usually Spock's station during the first shift.

Kirk was a vigorous athletic man in his mid-thirties whose boyish good looks and natural charm made him perfect for diplomatic missions or the theatre. He could convey authority or innocence, aggression or compliance. Spock had never mastered the nuances of human expression and usually settled for the neutral expression that earthlings labeled 'the poker face'.

"Good morning Captain," Spock greeted with as much enthusiasm as emotionless professionalism would allow. "I was not aware that you had changed the duty stations today."

"What?" Kirk looked back at his first officer, then shrugged and gave a rueful smile. "Sorry, Mister Spock, I got here early this morning and thought I should try to update some of the logs for the last month. It's been a crazy month hasn't it? Do you recall what happened last week?

Spock folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the railing that separated the center of the circular bridge from the outer ring. For a human, folding the arms across the chest would signify an unfriendly aloofness, a 'closing off' as it were, but Kirk knew his friend well enough to know that Spock was conveying friendly familiarity.

"Let me recall," Spock frowned in concentration. "If memory serves me, last week a transporter malfunction transported you to a mirror universe. There you encountered sinister versions of the officers and crew."

"Including a bearded version of you who wasn't so evil when he found out the whole story," Kirk smiled. "It's nice to know that no matter what universe you're in Mister Spock is one hell of a guy."

"Based off my own record and behavior, I'm surprised there was any doubt," Spock said dryly.

"Let's see, what happened the week before that?" Kirk asked as he returned to business.

"The week before that, the ship was taken over by an android," Spock replied. "It took us to a planet totally inhabited by androids where we encountered the petty criminal Harry Mudd."

"Oh yes," Kirk snickered. "Can't forget that, can I? And the week before that?"

"That would be when the Klingons took over the ship," Spock continued. "An energy being that fed on hostile emotions encouraged us the Klingons and us to fight each other."

"That's right," Kirk nodded. "We drove it away with the power of laughter. And the week before that, Mister Spock?"

"That would be the time the children took over the ship," Spock replied.

"The children, Mister Spock?" Kirk asked with a hint of incredulity in his voice.

"Yes sir," Spock nodded. "We picked them up on the planet Triacus. All of the adults had died. It seems that the children were influenced by some evil entity called the 'Gorgan'… "

"Oh yes, I remember now," Kirk smiled. "He gave the children telekinetic powers didn't he? It was like having a bunch of Charlie Evanses on the ship."

"Yes Captain," Spock nodded.

"That means that it's been over a month since we've been visited by an incredibly power super being hasn't it?" Kirk asked.

At that moment, appearing on the bridge was a cobalt blue muscular titan of a man dressed in flowing robes. "Humans!" it bellowed in an arrogant voice. "Tremble at My Name! I am Gotor: The Most Powerful Being That Ever Lived!"

"Right on cue," Kirk sighed.

Spock attempted to hide a smirk as he shrugged.

"Puny humans!" Gotor bellowed. "Your limited perception, intelligence and imagination sickens Me! Go back to your planet at once or I shall destroy your starship and all others like it in the universe!"

The officers on duty remained at their stations and attempted to go about their business despite the noise pollution caused by their ultra-powerful visitor. Kirk uncorked a bottle of whiskey that was almost empty and took the last swig from the bottle before he and Spock swaggered up the hostile Gotor while attempting to stifle their laughter.

"What?" Gotor snarled in disbelief. "Did you hear me? I said I am Gotor—!"

"Now Gotor…" Kirk interrupted.

"'Gotor', you fool!" Gotor thundered. "For those as weak insignificant as yourself My Name is pronounced 'Gotor' you imbecile!"

"Gotor," Kirk continued without adding the extra emphasis. "If you are as powerful and omnipotent as you say, I don't understand what you have against our species…"

"And I don't understand what's wrong with your officers," Gotor retorted. "Do they not know Who I am? Do they not perceive enough to tremble in the face of That which they cannot fathom?"

"Gotor, you have to realize that we get all kinds of incredibly powerful superbeings around here," Kirk explained patiently. "You can't expect us to jump everytime one comes onboard."

"This is only more proof of your species' stupidity!" Gotor spat. "It is obvious that they can't comprehend the powers of an Incredibly Superior and Powerful Being!"

"Yes-yes," Kirk sounded slightly bored. "You're all powerful, I understand. And you think that there is nothing in human imagination that you cannot do."

"Are you deaf as well as stupid, Captain?" Gotor snarled. "I am vastly more powerful and can accomplish feats beyond your comprehension!"

"Very well," Kirk's eyes became mischievous. "If you're as powerful as you say, I suggest a sporting wager. If I can imagine something you cannot do, I want your promise that you'll spare this ship and imprison yourself in this bottle for say… a hundred years."

"Ha!" Gotor scoffed. "There is nothing that you can imagine that I cannot do! Your puny minds can't comprehend My powers. I'll take your bet Captain and if you lose I shall alter time to ensure that your puny species never existed!"

"Okay," Kirk nodded condescendingly. "Very well. I'll accept those terms, Gotor. What I'm curious about is… Can you make an object so dense, so heavy, that not even you can lift it?"

"What!" Gotor sputtered. "But that is a contradiction in terms! I'm so powerful, there is nothing in the universe I can't lift! My strength is unlimited! There is nothing in any universe I can't lift! I am all powerful! I can lift anything!"

"But can you create anything?" Kirk challenged. "You've threatened us with destruction. Anyone can destroy. Even a human from Earth can do it. But can you create? Can you create something so heavy even you can't lift it, Gotor?"

"Curse you Captain!" Gotor roared. "You know damn well that what you asked is impossible!"

"Impossible?" Kirk mocked. "I thought that nothing was impossible for the most powerful being that ever lived. Now get in the bottle, Gotor, I've got a busy morning."

"Curse you Enterprise!" Gotor shouted. "May the captain of the Enterprise lose all his hair! May the first officer be the bearded first officer, like in the mirror universe!"

"Come on Gotor," Kirk brandished the bottle before the incredibly powerful super being. "Stop stalling. You lost the bet now get in the bottle."

"May the children steer the ship!" Gotor cried. "May an android infiltrate the Enterprise and control all of your ship operations! May the Klingons seize all your weapons and may the chief engineer go blind!"

"Come on," Kirk scolded. "Stop stalling! Get in there. Come on. Let's go."

Kirk poked Gotor with the mouth of the bottle and the incredibly powerful super being disappeared. A high pitched chittering could be heard from the bottle before Kirk stuck the cork on it. "Spock, contact Mister Scott," he said as he placed the bottle carefully on the floor. "He said he was going to be running maintenance on the transporter today."

"Acknowledged, Captain," Spock said drily. "Mister Scott is available now sir."

"Scott here, Cap'n," ironically, the voice of over the intercom had a Scottish accent and belonged to a man named Scott.

"Mister Scott, there is a whiskey bottle containing an incredibly powerful super being on the floor of my bridge," the captain announced. "Kindly beam it out to deep space won't you?"

"Aye sir," Scott's voice replied from the speaker. "I'm locked on ta a pattern o' limitless power an' energy right now! I'm beamin' 'im inta deep space as we speak, Cap'n!"

Thank you Mister Scott," Kirk smiled as the bottle vanished in a shower of sparks. "Sorry to disturb you. As you were, Scottie."

"Aye sir," Scott's happy voice acknowledged. "Scott out."

"Now where were we Mister Spock?" Kirk asked as he walked back to the science station.

"We were updating the ship's logs," Spock replied while unsuccessfully hiding a smile.

"Oh yes, that's right," Kirk said. "What happened before the children took us over?"

"I believe incredibly advanced but suspicious aliens transported us to a facsimile of the Old West," Spock answered. "Tombstone, Arizona, wasn't it Jim?"

"That's right, we were the Clantons," Kirk nodded. "I remember now. We were supposed to lose…"

The bottle that was the prison of Gotor, the most powerful being that ever lived floated in empty space for almost a century before it was sucked into an intake valve of a Galaxy class starship. On the bridge, the bald and middle-aged Captain Jean-Luc Picard was studying a whiskey bottle that Geordi La Forge, a short young man of African descent handed him.

"Looks like this is what clogged the Bussard scoops Captain," La Forge smiled. "Can you beat that? It's a whiskey bottle. It's over a hundred years old! What are the odds, huh?"

"What I don't understand is why it didn't shatter," Picard said as he examined the bottle. "It should have been reduced to atoms in the collector."

"It still has the cork," the tall young bearded William Riker teased. "Do you think there's a message in the bottle like in the old pirate stories?"

"Why don't we find out, Number One?" Picard said as he pulled the cork loose.

At that moment, appearing on the bridge was a cobalt blue muscular titan of a man dressed in flowing robes. "Humans!" it bellowed in an arrogant voice. "Tremble at My Name! I am Gotor: The Most Powerful Being That Ever Lived!"

"Gotor?" Picard repeated.

"Gotor!" Gotor repeated. "Can't you stupid humans understand that? I am Gotor! The Most Powerful Being That Ever Lived!"

"Well what can we do for you, Mister Gotor?" Picard asked diplomatically.

"Where am I?" The all-powerful super being asked him.

"You are aboard the starship Enterprise," Picard informed him. "I am the commanding officer. My name is Jean-Luc Picard…"

"Aha!" Gotor pointed a triumphant finger at the captain. "You are the captain! And you are bald!"

There was an awkward silence on the bridge for a moment. "Very perceptive," Picard said with mild sarcasm. "As I was saying, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and this is my first officer, William Riker…"

"Ha! Your first officer has a beard!" Gotor crowed in triumph. "You know what that means: He's the evil first officer from the mirror universe!"

"What?" Riker protested.

"Mister Gotor, there seems to be some misunderstanding," Picard smiled indulgently. "The decision to wear facial hair is something of a style choice among our species. Under no circumstance does it dictate a man's character."

"What?" Gotor seemedconfused. "Didn't any of my curses work? Isn't this the starship Enterprise?"

"Last time I checked," La Forge said without thinking.

"What's that on your face?" Gotor asked him.

"This is my VISOR," La Forge explained. "I was born without vision. It lets me see…"

"Ha! You are the chief engineer aren't you?" Gotor pointed an accusing finger at La Forge. "You've gone blind!"

"I was born blind," La Forge corrected testily. "I haven't gone blind or anything else, for that matter!"

Picard attempted to intervene. "Mister Gotor, if you could explain why you are here and what you want we could facilitate your…"

"Aha!" Gotor pointed at the officer at the Ops station. "Look! That man is really an android, Captain! He's snuck on board and he's going to take over your ship!"

"That is Lieutenant Commander Data," Picard corrected as his patience was showing signs of strain. "He hasn't snuck on board, he was assigned here. We know he's an android. He's not going to do anything."

"Mister Gotor cannot be blamed for his suspicions, Captain," The nearly colorless Data interjected. "My brother Lore was an android physically identical to myself and was not to be trusted."

"Please Data, don't encourage him!" Picard snapped.

"My apologies sir," Data said as he pivoted his chair to face the main viewscreen.

"Look! Look!" Gotor hopped up and down childishly as he pointed at the underage boy at helm. "There's a child! There's a child flying your ship Captain! You must really be in trouble now! I'll bet he has mental powers or something!"

"No…" the boy said shyly. "But the Traveller did say I had potential, didn't he Captain?"

"That is Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher," Picard said defensively. "And I'll thank you to avoid harassing the officers on my ship! We're all proud of young Wesley aren't we, Number One?"

"Yes indeed," Riker affirmed.

"Are you nuts?" Gotor sneered in disbelief. "You mean you're letting an inexperienced kid drive a starship on purpose? What are you, an idiot? Wait! Look behind you! Look behind you Captain! There's a Klingon and he's got the drop on you!"

Picard and Riker turned to look at the burly Klingon in the Starfleet uniform standing at the Tactical Station. The coffee colored Klingon instinctively turned to look behind him before rolling his eyes in realization and grunting in irritation.

"That's Mister Worf!" Picard growled. "He's in charge of security on this ship and he's the first Klingon to ever join Starfleet. Look I don't know what your problem is but I've just about had enough of it!"

But Gotor wasn't listening. "Have none of my curses come true?" he whined in frustration. "Has the chief medical officer turned into a woman? That's it! I've had it with your species! I'm going far away to another galaxy where I'll never have to look at another one of your species again!" With that, the most powerful being that ever lived vanished.

There was a brief pause as Picard and his officers waited for the rude but enigmatic being to return. When it was obvious that he was really gone, Commander Riker asked, "What was that about?"

"I don't know, Number One, but I have my suspicions," Picard said grimly. He looked up at the ceiling and voiced a challenge. "Q, is that you? Come out of hiding. We know it's you!"

Riker looked behind the captain's chair. Worf knelt to check under the tactical console. Data glanced under the ops station.

"Come on, Q!" Picard called as he stalked the bridge. "Come on out! You're not fooling anybody! We know this is you!"

The Galaxy class starship Enterprise soared through the infinite reaches of space while Picard's voice could still be heard shouting a letter of the alphabet.

END