Pike finds himself in the carnaval-like atmosphere of an Orion Colony club, drinking at a table with traders from Earth and other planets, as “jaguar woman” native to Orion performs nearby. As he admires the woman’s beauty—perhaps recognizing her as Vina—he is recognized by others at the bar as the former Enterprise captain. Pike remains stoic as one of the traders mocks Pike, accusing him of hypocrisy as a past critic of the colony’s “treatment of the natives.” The music and the woman’s performance intensifies, and Pike remains transfixed. Goading him on, another trader next to Pike tells a story of a jaguar woman, first expressing contempt for their kind, but soon revealing obsession. Pike remembers that the whole conversation unfolding before him is a fantasy—each character’s dispositions, desires, and fears drawn from his own mind.
Repulsed, Pike bolts from the table, but as he nears the exit a commotion arises behind him. The obsessed trader (name?) leaps in a frenzy to the stage, to dance with Venus. Pike returns to stop him, and the crowd revels in the ensuing fight, taunting Pike further. Venus falters at first, but returns to her erotic role, tempting Pike. Pike recognizes Venus as Vina, and they are returned to the cage.
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