Eighth UK Story Arc " The massive complex of the starship " Enterprise " , on its long - term mission to contact planet s far out in space and establish friendly relations with Earth , lay inert while maintenance crews made a routine check of the outer structures . . . " Summary . Maintenance crews perform a routine check of the " Enterprise " s hull . One crewman feels a tug on his shoulder and thinks it is one of the crew . Another hits something unseen , and his tool is flung out of his hand . When the crews come back aboard , one of them is shoved aside by an unseen force . Captain Kirk , completing his duty shift , retires to his quarters to get some rest . After sleeping for a few hours , his bed sheets are ripped off , suddenly awakening him . Before he is able to get his bearings , his uniform , sitting nearby , moves of its own accord and flies around the room . Alarmed and confused , Kirk flees into the corridor , shutting the door behind him . Just then , Spock approaches , and notes the similarity between Kirk ' s experience and that of the maintenance teams . Dismissing the possibility of ghost s , Spock concludes that aliens are aboard . Spock lends Kirk a spare uniform , locking the door to the captain ' s quarters . A meeting of the senior officer s is called , and Doctor McCoy suggests " asking " the aliens what they want . Before Kirk can grab a nearby communicator , it lifts of its own accord and activates . The voice explains that twelve Zond envoys from the planet Vartax are aboard . They have come to warn the crew that the " Enterprise " is on a collision course with their planet . Vartax lies on another plane of existence , like the Zonds , and is undetectable by ship ' s sensor s . The voice offers to provide transporter coordinates for Vartax . Kirk accepts the invitation and beams down with Scott and Sulu . They see a gleaming city against a jet - black sky . Scott theorizes that it is the result of the barrier that shields the planet from outside observation . The hovering communicator leads them to a rotting corpse , explaining that this is his physical body . The Zond says that his body is only at rest , and goes on to relate his race ' s history . A peaceful race , the Zonds lived in cities like the one the landing party saw earlier . One day , creatures from the depths of the planet arrived . Possessing no weapons , the Zonds were attacked by these Primitives and their civilization destroyed . Unbeknownst to their attackers , the Zonds had the ability to survive as disembodied consciousnesses , though the Primitives gained control of the planet . After hearing the Zond plead for help , Kirk assembles an armed party on an expedition to recover restoration machinery to put the Zonds back in their dormant bodies . The Zond cautions the captain that the Primitives may have unraveled the workings of some Zond technology and become an even greater threat . The Zond elects to stay behind , and crewman Tremayne stays with him to cover the escape route . The expedition soon discovers the Primitives , who are terrified of the outsiders . Although unable to communicate , the Primitives gesture , begging Kirk not to harm them . Since their only communicator , with a universal translator , was left with the Zond , Sulu goes back to the surface to retrieve it . Upon reaching the cavern entryway , Sulu discovers the lifeless body of Tremayne and the discarded communicator . Sulu returns to the expedition , and the Primitives frantically assert that the Zonds are evil . They say that the Zonds are alien invaders that drove the Varticans from their cities and have the ability to assume invisibility at will . Kirk contacts Spock , still aboard the " Enterprise " , only to find that the Zonds have assumed control of the ship , beaming up all remaining survivors of their race . Having used up Vartax ' s resources , the Zonds are abandoning it , and are bent on finding another planet to plunder . The Zonds evacuate the crew to Vartax , but Spock manages evade the hijackers and hide aboard the ship . Seeing Kirk disheartened , the Vartican leader suggests that he go to the abandoned city to search for weapons . They discover a long - range disintegrator , capable of destroying the " Enterprise " . Kirk weighs the decision of destroying the ship with Spock still aboard . Spock stealthily weaves through the " Enterprise " , using gas grenade s and phaser s , disabling every Zond . Arriving at the bridge , Spock seizes the Zond leader at phaser - point , forcing his surrender . With their leader ' s life under threat , the Zonds are compelled to evacuate in a massive shuttlecraft , to await trial on Vartax . Locked on course for the planet , the Zonds self - destruct the vessel rather than be humiliated in defeat . The liberated Varticans return to their city , and Spock asks Kirk whether he would really have destroyed the ship with him aboard . Kirk says that he will happily forget the question . Memorable quotes . " " Tracka - hacka ! Shreeka ! " " " " This is crazy ! Did anyone bring a communicator ? " " " " " They said that you were evil ! That you destroyed their civilisation and condemned them to be eternally invisible ! " " " " I can ' t believe it ! You didn ' t even put up a token resistance ! " " " " Sure , lieutenant ! And what can Spock do against a gang of Zonds ? Those smooth characters pack more tricks than a zoo full of monkeys ! " " " " This is Captain Kirk ! Can you hear me , Mr . Spock ? Can you hear me ? " " " " Hang it . . . yes ! And so can everyone else ! " " Background information . Publishing history . None of the UK weekly stories had titles . Each installment was two pages in length .