 Spock, Uhura, and Sulu are en-route on a shuttlecraft to deliver a Slaver Stasis box - an artifact from a long-dead civilization inside of which time stands still - to Starbase 25. On their way, the box gives off a signal that another box is nearby. Investigating, they determine that the 2nd box is on a ice world. Once there, they are captured by the Kzinti, a feline race that wish to return to their dominance they once had. The Kzinti hope that the others  stasis box holds a means to do that. One thing in that box is a device of sorts that transforms into various devices: a Slaver Weapon. Knowing that in the wrong hands, the Slaver Weapon could bring havoc to the galaxy, Spock and his team escape and try to get the weapon back. While attempting to activate a computer form of the weapon, the Kzinti Captain unwittingly activates a self-destruct bomb which destroys itself and the Kzinti s ship. Once Enterprise officers resume their journey to Starbase 25, Sulu expresses regret that the Slaver Weapon couldn t have been salvaged. Spock surmises that the device may have been too dangerous for anyone to keep.