McCoy, who had caught Kirk's momentary display of annoyance, said, "Why, I believe you're right, Mr. Spock. Trust a Vulcan to see it. Morl was arrogant, ruthless, singleminded, egomaniacal. Yes, Spock, the perfect Star Fleet captain." He turned toward the screen, nodding sagely, feigning unawareness of Kirk's glare.
Kirk rose. "Mr. Sulu, you have the con. Bones, Spock, come with me."
He led them to the conference room. When all three had entered and the door had slid shut behind them, Kirk relaxed his self-control and allowed the anger he had been suppressing ever since his return to Trellisane to come to the surface. "All right, gentlemen," he said, his jaw clenched, "I want to know what you two thought you were doing down there while I was away."
"Captain?" Spock said in a puzzled tone. "I don't understand your question."
"Don't play games with me!" Kirk roared. "I finally regained control of the Enterprise, managed to browbeat the Klingons and Romulans into a treaty concerning Trellisane and Sealon, only to find that you and McCoy have drawn up some sort of agreement of your own."
"Jim, that's completely unfair," McCoy said, unable to entirely keep his own temper. "We weren't trying to undercut your authority. Spock accomplished something on Sealon that I think is damned near miraculous, and you should be congratulating him for it. You weren't here, we didn't know what had happened to you or if you were even alive, and we both acted as we thought best in the circumstances. Read what the Star Fleet Manual says about officers 'showing initiative and enterprise when not under direct orders.'" He paused for a moment, then laughed suddenly. "Hell, did you want to amend that to read 'when not under direct orders to do otherwise'?"
Shamefaced, Kirk said, "I suppose I overreacted. Look, I knew at the time that both Karox and Tal signed the agreement I worked out for a tripartite commission because they both thought it would give them control of the system in the end. Neither of them would have willingly given up that idea. They wanted to back out, Karox especially, when we got back to Trellisane and found that the other Klingon forces in the system had been killed and control was now in the hands of the Sealons. The way you two set things up, the system has achieved real independence. The combination of Sealon aggressiveness and Trellisanian technology and science probably means that the alliance will become a real force in the Galaxy in the near future. Both the Klingons and the Romulans could find themselves threatened. They wanted the Tripartite Commission to have control over the Sealons and the Trellisanians, partly to prevent that very thing from ever happening."
"Sorry if we ruined all that Great Power politicking for you, Jim," McCoy said. "I, for one, think this situation is preferable."
"I'm sure you're right. I apologize to both of you. You understand, of course: it was the tension, even the humiliation, all coming together."
McCoy grinned at him. "Plus, of course, that you wanted to be the one who solved everyone's problems, to make up for having your ship stolen from under your nose, and instead you found that we'd already done most of the work. Captain."
Kirk stared at him, trying to will himself to anger but not succeeding. He gave up the struggle and let his face relax into a smile. "It's a good thing you weren't with me on the Enterprise, after all, Bones. You're a marvelous ship's doctor, but you're a lousy diplomat."
"Aye, aye, Captain. I won't argue with that at all."
"Nor would I," Spock said. "May we be excused, Captain? I believe both the doctor and I have much work to do to repair the damage done during the takeover."
"Yes, of course, Mr. Spock." He dismissed them with a wave of his hand and watched them leave. As the door was closing behind them, the speaker on the wall behind Kirk spoke out with Uhura's voice.
"Captain, I have a response from Star Fleet Command to the message you sent them when we left Trefolg."
Kirk had to think for a moment to dredge that one up from his memory. Ah, yes, that had been his message that he was going to Trellisane to investigate the plea for help from that world rather than immediately taking his United Expansion Party prisoners to a starbase. At the time, he had been worried, even without Spock's warning, that he was placing his career in jeopardy. His concern over that had been displaced by much more immediate problems during the subsequent days, but it returned now. He felt his muscles tightening. It had taken Star Fleet Command long enough to respond, as he had thought at the time it would. At the time, he had convinced himself that so long a time would be virtually like eternity, that he could simply not think about it. Now eternity had arrived, and he was surprised at his own tension as he said, "Read it to me, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir. First they acknowledge receipt of your message, then they say, 'Kirk, do not forget the sensitive location of Trellisane. Investigate the situation, but tread warily and do not antagonize the Klingons. However, do what is necessary to guarantee the independence of Trellisane. J. Potgieter, Rear Admiral.' That's all there is, sir."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll be on the way to the bridge shortly." He knew Potgieter; the man functioned more as a liaison with the diplomatic corps than as a regular staff officer. What a wonderfully noncommittal order: investigate, tread warily, do not antagonize, but do what is necessary to guarantee Trellisane's independence. Kirk laughed aloud with the sudden relief of tension. He would have interpreted that command to mean he was on his own, had it arrived in time. As it was, matters had drawn themselves to a conclusion, and the message really meant that he would be commended for his actions when he returned to a starbase, just as he would have been reprimanded had he failed. Star Fleet Command had decided not to decide after all: Kirk had a free hand, but if he failed to bring things off properly, then the fault would be entirely his. But it had always been that way, from the start of his career, as it was for any other officer in a major command position. Eventually it might give him an ulcer. In the meantime, though, he admitted readily to himself, it made his one of the most exciting and satisfying lives in the Galaxy. Perhaps no one else on the ship would be able to fully understand that. Probably only Tal or Karox could sympathize. His enemies and his colleagues simultaneously. The three of them justified each others' existences. What a wonderful joke that was on Star Fleet Command and the equivalent in the Klingon and Romulan empires!
As they left the conference room, Spock said to McCoy, "By the way, Doctor, I'm sure you're aware that your argument concerning the necessity of common ancestry for cross-fertility is neither correct nor logical. The idea of an ancient race from whom we humanoids are all descended is an hypothesis that has never been proven. The archeological evidence is skimpy and inconclusive. Moreover, your argument was a tautology: two races have recent common ancestors because they are cross-fertile, and they are cross-fertile because they have recent common ancestors. It is fortunate that the fallacy in your words didn't strike the Trellisanians as quickly and forcefully as it did me."
McCoy snorted, which he considered a sufficient dismissal of all that Spock had said. "Don't try to confuse a simple country doctor with that sort of verbiage, Spock. It worked, and that's what counts. And speaking of logic, I noticed that when you arrived back on Trellisane in Matabele's ship, you showed definite pleasure and relief that I was unharmed and had come through the Sealon attacks unscathed. That wasn't logic, at all. You can't fool an old country doctor: it was genuine human feeling I saw peeping out." He held his hand up quickly before the Vulcan could reply. "Wait a minute, I know just what you're going to say—that you were merely expressing your relief that Star Fleet's investment in me was not wasted and that the ship needs my professional services for optimal functioning. Right?"
Spock remained imperturbable. "Not quite, Doctor. What is of most value to the Enterprise's optimal functioning is your country-doctor, anti-technology pose. It's good for ship's morale, since humans have a curious need for someone like you as a means of vicariously expressing their romantic delusions. Any competent medical technician could cure their physical ills as well as you do, but no one but you can do su
ch a good job of playing the court jester."
McCoy opened his mouth to say something biting, then closed it with a snap, turned on his heel, and stalked off down the hallway. Spock watched with a faint hint of a smile.
"Mr. Spock, that was cruel."
He turned to find Christine Chapel standing before him, her expression disapproving. "I heard the last part of your conversation. You shouldn't have said that to him. He's really a very sensitive man."
Spock nodded. "Yes, he is a sensitive man. He's also a remarkable doctor, and the Enterprise is fortunate to have him. However, he needs occasional correction. More than that, though, I believe he derives great pleasure from insulting me and having me insult him in return. That is the only way he will allow himself to express affection to a being as alien as I." Aquatic images overwhelmed him momentarily. "Unity through diversity," he murmured. "That is our strength. That is what Hander Morl and his party could not understand, even though his group consisted of alien, diverse creatures. It is our ability to communicate and empathize despite our racial differences that makes the Federation strong and healthy." Somewhat brusquely he added, "Of course it is virtually impossible for anyone but a Vulcan to understand that, because only we, of all the races we know, can perform the mind-meld with beings alien to us. Please excuse me, Nurse Chapel. I am needed on the bridge."
Chapel watched him as he hurried away. "Only a Vulcan," she whispered. This was her first trip outside sickbay since her collapse on the bridge, when the Onctiliians had died. No one else on the Enterprise, least of all Spock, knew of her experience, of her union with alien beings on a far deeper level than any Vulcan mind-meld had ever been. And no one else ever would know of it. She had been walking slowly down the corridor because she and the Onctiliians had passed this way together on their way to the bridge … It had helped to calm and soothe her. Unity through diversity: no one, not even a Vulcan, would ever understand that idea as deeply as she did. And she knew she would never really experience it again—not as she had for that one, brief, brilliant moment, that too-short time of love, light, and fulfillment. She sighed and walked on, still shaky.
The door of the conference room opened and Captain Kirk came out. Yes, he was back in control and everything was once again where it should be in his private universe, but one thing still rankled, and that was Dr. McCoy's depiction of the perfect starship captain as "arrogant, ruthless, singleminded, egomaniacal." Kirk could not put those words from his mind. Was that what it took, really? Was he that way? Or am I less than perfect? he asked himself with self-conscious irony.
He walked slowly toward the turboelevator entrance, entered, and said, "Bridge." As the elevator sped toward the control center of the Enterprise, Kirk returned to the question. Was it arrogant to be aware that he was the best qualified of anyone to command this great ship and its diverse crew? Or ruthless to expect his orders to be obeyed because he was the captain and knew what was best? Or singleminded to be more concerned with this magnificent vessel's well-being than with anything else, including his own well-being? Egomaniacal? "Say that again, Bones," he said aloud, "and I'll have you drawn and quartered." He chuckled.
The doors opened and the bridge lay before him. He could sense the air of—not tension, but extra alertness as he appeared, as if everyone was suddenly concerned to be on his best behavior now that James Kirk was present. Was it egomaniacal to feel more than faintly pleased at that response? he asked himself. Yes, he answered, it is. But he felt no less pleased as he strode toward the chair to resume control of the Enterprise.
Look for STAR TREK fiction from Pocket Books
Star Trek®: The Original Series
Enterprise: The First Adventure • Vonda N. McIntyre
Final Frontier • Diane Carey
Strangers From the Sky • Margaret Wander Bonanno
Spock's World • Diane Duane
The Lost Years • J.M. Dillard
Probe • Margaret Wander Bonanno
Prime Directive • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Best Destiny • Diane Carey
Shadows on the Sun • Michael Jan Friedman
Sarek • A.C. Crispin
Federation • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Vulcan's Forge • Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz
Mission to Horatius • Mack Reynolds
Vulcan's Heart • Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz
Novelizations
Star Trek: The Motion Picture • Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier • J.M. Dillard
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country • J.M. Dillard
Star Trek Generations • J.M. Dillard
Starfleet Academy • Diane Carey
Star Trek books by William Shatner with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
The Ashes of Eden
The Return
Avenger
Star Trek: Odyssey (contains The Ashes of Eden, The Return, and Avenger)
Spectre
Dark Victory
Preserver
#1 • Star Trek: The Motion Picture • Gene Roddenberry
#2 • The Entropy Effect • Vonda N. McIntyre
#3 • The Klingon Gambit • Robert E. Vardeman
#4 • The Covenant of the Crown • Howard Weinstein
#5 • The Prometheus Design • Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath
#6 • The Abode of Life • Lee Correy
#7 • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan • Vonda N. McIntyre
#8 • Black Fire • Sonni Cooper
#9 • Triangle • Sondra Marshak & Myrna Culbreath
#10 • Web of the Romulans • M.S. Murdock
#11 • Yesterday's Son • A.C. Crispin
#12 • Mutiny on the Enterprise • Robert E. Vardeman
#13 • The Wounded Sky • Diane Duane
#14 • The Trellisane Confrontation • David Dvorkin
#15 • Corona • Greg Bear
#16 • The Final Reflection • John M. Ford
#17 • Star Trek III: The Search For Spock • Vonda N. McIntyre
#18 • My Enemy, My Ally • Diane Duane
#19 • The Tears of the Singers • Melinda Snodgrass
#20 • The Vulcan Academy Murders • Jean Lorrah
#21 • Uhura's Song • Janet Kagan
#22 • Shadow Lord • Laurence Yep
#23 • Ishmael • Barbara Hambly
#24 • Killing Time • Della Van Hise
#25 • Dwellers in the Crucible • Margaret Wander Bonanno
#26 • Pawns and Symbols • Majliss Larson
#27 • Mindshadow • J.M. Dillard
#28 • Crisis on Centaurus • Brad Ferguson
#29 • Dreadnought! • Diane Carey
#30 • Demons • J.M. Dillard
#31 • Battlestations! • Diane Carey
#32 • Chain of Attack • Gene DeWeese
#33 • Deep Domain • Howard Weinstein
#34 • Dreams of the Raven • Carmen Carter
#35 • The Romulan Way • Diane Duane & Peter Morwood
#36 • How Much For Just the Planet? • John M. Ford
#37 • Bloodthirst • J.M. Dillard
#38 • The IDIC Epidemic • Jean Lorrah
#39 • Time For Yesterday • A.C. Crispin
#40 • Timetrap • David Dvorkin
#41 • The Three-Minute Universe • Barbara Paul
#42 • Memory Prime • Gar and Judith Reeves-Stevens
#43 • The Final Nexus • Gene DeWeese
#44 • Vulcan's Glory • D.C. Fontana
#45 • Double, Double • Michael Jan Friedman
#46 • The Cry of the Onlies • Judy Klass
#47 • The Kobayashi Maru • Julia Ecklar
#48 • Rules of Engagement
• Peter Morwood
#49 • The Pandora Principle • Carolyn Clowes
#50 • Doctor's Orders • Diane Duane
#51 • Enemy Unseen • V.E. Mitchell
#52 • Home is the Hunter • Dana Kramer Rolls
#53 • Ghost-Walker • Barbara Hambly
#54 • A Flag Full of Stars • Brad Ferguson
#55 • Renegade • Gene DeWeese
#56 • Legacy • Michael Jan Friedman
#57 • The Rift • Peter David
#58 • Faces of Fire • Michael Jan Friedman
#59 • The Disinherited • Peter David
#60 • Ice Trap • L.A. Graf
#61 • Sanctuary • John Vornholt
#62 • Death Count • L.A. Graf
#63 • Shell Game • Melissa Crandall
#64 • The Starship Trap • Mel Gilden
#65 • Windows on a Lost World • V.E. Mitchell
#66 • From the Depths • Victor Milan
#67 • The Great Starship Race • Diane Carey
#68 • Firestorm • L.A. Graf
#69 • The Patrian Transgression • Simon Hawke
#70 • Traitor Winds • L.A. Graf
#71 • Crossroad • Barbara Hambly
#72 • The Better Man • Howard Weinstein
#73 • Recovery • J.M. Dillard
#74 • The Fearful Summons • Denny Martin Flynn
#75 • First Frontier • Diane Carey & Dr. James I. Kirkland
#76 • The Captain's Daughter • Peter David
#77 • Twilight's End • Jerry Oltion
#78 • The Rings of Tautee • Dean Wesley Smith & Kristine Kathryn Rusch
#79 • Invasion! #1: First Strike • Diane Carey
#80 • The Joy Machine • James Gunn
#81 • Mudd in Your Eye • Jerry Oltion
#82 • Mind Meld • John Vornholt
#83 • Heart of the Sun • Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski
#84 • Assignment: Eternity • Greg Cox
#85-87 • My Brother's Keeper • Michael Jan Friedman
#85 • Republic
#86 • Constitution
#87 • Enterprise
#88 • Across the Universe • Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski
The Trellisane Confrontation Page 17