The Primate Directive, Issue 3

Overview[]

"It's the battle for the ages! Taylor has escaped the Planet of the Apes, and Captain Kirk must bring him back! Plus, the Klingon/Gorilla alliance makes its move against Dr. Zaius and Ape City!"

Summary[]

Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise have pursued Klingon warships through an interdimensional portal, finding themselves on a parallel Earth where mankind has become an inferior species and apes rule the planet! Searching for Klingon interference, they've encountered Colonel George Taylor, a timelost astronaut from 20th-century Earth who's hell-bent for vengeance for what's become of humanity. When his requests for assistance are rebuffed, Taylor kayoes Ensign Chekov and takes matters into his own hands...

In his personal study, Doctor Zaius reflects on the hard times Ape City has fallen under. The lands are drying up and the food supply is in freefall. So dire is that situation that scouts have even been sent into the Forbidden Zone to try and find new fertile lands. All that would be bad enough on its own were it not for the fact that General Marius has grown emboldened, believing an attack is imminent and that conquest of foreign lands is their best option for survival. The only good news seems to be that Cornelius and Zira seem to have finally abandoned the notion of working alongside humans.

Sliding down a hill, George Taylor opens the communicator and poses as Kirk, requesting transport up to the USS Enterprise. As he converses with the chimpanzees, Kirk notices Taylor and Chekov's absences. The ensign is soon found, minus his communicator. Putting two and two together, Kirk orders the ship placed on red alert. A command that comes moments too late for Taylor is already aboard, having knocked Kyle and stolen his uniform as a disguise. As Kirk and Spock beam up, they quickly realize that Taylor's knowledge of space travel, rudimentary as it is, makes him a dangerous variable aboard the Enterprise and that given his background, he is likely heading for the shuttle bay. Indeed, Taylor is attempting to abscond with the Galileo but cannot make sense of its controls. Kirk approaches him and, after a fistfight, forces him to see that if he uses the shuttle to destroy the ape society, he is no better than they are.

On the surface, Kor provides Marius with a new firearm and body armor. The time for conquest is upon them and the planet will soon become property of the Klingon Empire.