by 05(lit)
"As to the disposal of my personal effects..."
McCoy snapped the switch, and turned. For a moment the two men studied each other, less guardedly than before. Then McCoy said, "Spock, I'm sorry. It hurts, doesn't it?"
Spock closed his eyes for a moment. Then he turned and left. McCoy remained for a moment longer, thoughtful, and then stepped out into the corridor.
He was greeted by a stifled scream. Turning, he saw Uhura running toward him, half out of uniform, her normally unshakable calm dissolved in something very close to panic. She saw McCoy and stopped, gasping, trying to get words out; but before they could form, a stab of pain seemed to go through her and her knees buckled. She grabbed the rail for support.
The signs were all too clear. McCoy surreptitiously got out his hypospray, and then went to steady her.
"Lieutenant!" he said sharply. "What is it?"
"I-Doctor, I've just seen the Captain!"
"Yes, he just left a moment ago."
"No, I don't mean Mr. Spock. The captain. He's alive!"
"I'm afraid not. But of course you saw him. We would all like to see him."
Her legs were still shaking, but she seemed somewhat calmer now. "I know what you're thinking. But it isn't that. I was looking into my mirror in my quarters, and there he was. He was-sort of shimmering, like the Defiant was when we first saw it. He looked puzzled -and like he was trying to tell me something."
McCoy brought the hypospray up. Uhura saw it and tried to fight free, but she was too wobbly to resist. "I did see him. Tell Mr. Spock. He's alive, he's alive..."
The hypospray hissed. "I'll tell him," McCoy said gently. "But in the meantime, you're going to sickbay."
One of Scott's crewmen attacked him within the same hour. The effect was spreading faster through the ship. The Tholian web was now two-thirds complete, and the Enterprise was still without impulse drive, let alone the thrust to achieve interstellar velocity.
The crewman's attack failed; but a shaken Scott was on the bridge not ten minutes later.
"Mr. Spock-I've just seen the Captain."
"Spock to McCoy; please come to the bridge. Go on, Mr. Scott."
"He was on the upper engineering level-sparkling, rather like a Transporter effect. He seemed to be almost floating. And I think he saw us. He seemed to be breath-ing pretty heavily-and then, hey presto! he winked right out."
The elevator doors snapped open and McCoy came out, fast enough to pick up most of Scott's account. He said, "Scotty, are you feeling all right?"
"Och, I think so. Tired, maybe."
"So are we all, of course. Don't fail to see me if you have any other symptoms."
"Right."
"Lieutenant Uhura told a similar story before she went under," Spock said. "Perhaps we ought not to discount it entirely. Yet in critical moments, men sometimes see exactly what they want to see, even when they are not ill"
"Are you suggesting," McCoy said, "that the men are seeing the Captain because they've lost confidence in you?"
"I am making no suggestions, but merely stating a fact."
"Well, the situation is critical, all right. And there have been more assaults on the lower decks. And if Scottie here's being affected, that will finish whatever chance we have to get the Enterprise out of here."
"Have you any further leads on a remedy?"
"A small one," McCoy said. "I've been toying with the idea of trying a chlortheragen derivative. But I'm not ready to try anything so drastic, yet."
"Why not?"
"Well, for one thing..."
"Gentlemen," Scott said quietly. "Mr. Spock. Look be-hind you."
At the same moment, there was a chorus of gasps from the rest of the personnel on the bridge. Spock turned.
Floating behind him was an image of Captain Kirk, full length, but soapily iridescent. He seemed to rec-ognize Spock, but to be unable to move. Kirk's hand rose to his throat, and his lips moved. There was no sound.
Spock-hurry!
The figure vanished.
The Tholian web continued to go up around the Enter-prise, section by section. The pace had slowed some-what; Loskene and his compatriots seemed to have con-cluded that the Enterprise would not or could not leave the area.
Aboard the ship, too, the tension seemed to have abated, if only slightly. It was now tacitly accepted that the apparition of the Captain on the bridge had not been a part of the lurking madness, and that he had been, therefore, alive then.
Spock and Scott were having another computer ses-sion.
"So your reluctance to use the phasers now stands endorsed," the Engineering Officer said. "They blasted a hole right through this crazy space fabric and sent the Defiant heaven only knows where."
"And would have sent the Captain with it, if we. had not had a Transporter lock on him during the first fade-out. As of now, only the overlap time has changed; the next interphase will be early, in exactly twenty min-utes. Can you be ready?"
"Aye," Scott said, "she'll be back together, but we'll have only eighty percent power built up."
"It will have to do."
McCoy came up behind them, carrying a tray bearing a flask and three glasses. "Compliments of the house, gentlemen," he said. "To your good health and the health of your crew. Drink it down!"
"What is it?" Spock said.
"Generally, it's an antidote-cum-preventive for the paranoid reaction. Specifically, a derivative of chlortheragen."
"If I remember aright," Scott said, "that's a nerve gas used by the Klingons. Are you trying to kill us all, McCoy?"
"I said it was a derivative, not the pure stuff. In this form it simply deadens certain nerve inputs to the brain."
"Any good brand of Scotch will do that for you."
"As a matter of fact," McCoy said, "it works best mixed with alcohol. But it does work. It even brought Chekov around, and he's been affected the longest of any of us."
Scott knocked his drink back, and made a face. "It'll nae become a regular tipple with me," he said. "I'll be getting back to my machines."
Spock nodded after him and crossed to the command chair. A moment later Chekov himself entered, beaming, and took his regular position. Uhura was already at her post, as was Sulu.
"Your absence was keenly felt, Ensign," Spock said. To begin with, give me an estimated time for com-pletion of the Tholian tractor field."
"At the enemy's present pace, two minutes, sir."
"Mr. Sulu, I have the computers programmed to move us through the interspatial gateway. Stand ready to re-sume the helm as soon as we emerge on the other side- wherever that may be."
"Transporter Room."
"Scott here."
"Ready for interphase in seventy-five seconds."
"Aye, sir, standing by."
"Mr. Spock," Sulu said, "the Tholians are getting ready to close the web. It seems to be contracting to fit the ship."
"Counting down to interphase," Chekov said. He now had an open line to the Transporter Room. "One minute."
"Mr. Scott, have we full power?"
"Only seventy-six percent, Mr. Spock."
"Can the computer call on it all at once?"
"Aye, I think she'll stand it."
"Thirty seconds."
Suddenly, on the viewing screen, between the Enter-prise, a tiny figure in an environmental suit popped into being.
"I see him!"
"He's early!"
"It's the Captain!"
The webbing began to slide across the screen in a heavy mesh. Behind it, stars slid past as well.
"Tractor field activated," Sulu said. "We're being pulled out of here."
"Try to maintain position, Mr. Sulu."
The ship throbbed to the sudden application of power at the computer's command. Heavy tremors shook the deck.
The web vanished.
"We broke it!" Chekov cheered.
"No, Ensign, we went out through the interdimensional gateway. Since we went through shortly after interphase,
we should still be in some part of normal space. Compute the distance from our original position."
"Umm-two point seventy-two parsecs." Chekov looked aghast. "But that's beyond Transporter range!"
"You forget, Mr. Chekov, that we have a shortcut. Mr. Scott, are you still locked on the Captain?"
"Aye, sir, though I dinna understand how."
"You can beam him in now-we have broken free."
"Aye, sir-got him! But he's unconscious. McCoy, this is your department."
"I will be down directly," Spock said. "Mr. Sulu, take over."
As it turned out, no elaborate treatment was needed; taking Kirk's helmet off to let him breathe ship's air removed the source of the difficulty, and once he had been moved to his quarters, an epinephrine hypospray brought him quickly to consciousness. For a moment he looked up at Spock and McCoy in silence. Then McCoy said, "Welcome home, Jim."
"Thanks, Bones. You know, I had a whole universe to myself after the Defiant was thrown out. There was absolutely no one else in it. Somehow I could sense it."
"That must have been disorienting," McCoy observed.
"Very. I kept trying to get through to the ship. I think I did at least three times, but it never lasted. I must say I like a crowded universe much better. How did you two get along without me?"
"We managed," McCoy said. "Spock gave the orders. I found the answers."
Spock gave McCoy a curious glance, but nodded con-firmation.
"You mean you didn't have any problems?" Kirk said, with slight but visible incredulity.
"None worth reporting, Captain," Spock said.
"Let me be the judge of that."
"Only such minor disturbances, Captain, as are inevita-ble when humans are involved."
"Or are involved with Vulcans," McCoy added.
"Understood, gentlemen. I hope my last orders were helpful in solving the problems not worth reporting."
"Orders, Captain?" Spock said.
"The orders I left for you-for both of you-on tape."
"Oh, those orders!" said McCoy. "There wasn't time, Captain. We never got a chance to listen to them."
"The crisis was upon us and then passed so quickly, Captain, that..."
I see," Kirk said, smiling. "Nothing worth reporting happened, and it all happened so quickly. Good. Well, let's hope there will be no similar opportunity to test those orders that you never heard. Let's get to work."
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
(Oliver Crawford and Lee Cronin)
An airborne epidemic was raging on Ariannus; the Enter-prise was three hours and four minutes out from the stricken planet on a decontamination mission when her sensors picked up, of all unexpected objects, a Starfleet shuttlecraft. Furthermore, its identification numbers showed it to be the one reported stolen from Starbase 4 two weeks earlier.
Its course was very erratic, and it was leaking air. There was a humanoid creature aboard, either injured or ill. Kirk had the machine brought aboard by tractor, and then came the second surprise. The unconscious creature aboard it was, on his left side, a very black man-while his right-hand side was completely white.
Kirk and Spock, curious, watched the entity, now on the surgery's examination table, while McCoy and Nurse Chapel did what seemed indicated. This, in due course, included an injection.
"Doctor," Spock said, "is this pigmentation a natural condition of this-individual?"
"So it would seem. The black side is plain ordinary melanin."
"I never heard of such a race," Kirk said. "Spock? No? I thought not. How do you explain it, Bones?"
"At the moment, I don't."
"He looks like the outcome of a drastic argument."
"I would think not," Spock said seriously. "True, he would be difficult to account for by standard Mendelian evolution, but unaccountable rarities do occur."
"A mutation?" McCoy said. "Tenable, anyhow."
"Your prognosis, Bones?"
"Again, I can't give one. He's a novelty to me, too."
"Yet," Spock said, "you are pumping him full of your noxious potions as if he were human."
"When in doubt, the book prevails. I've run tests. Blood is blood-even when it's green like yours. The usual organs are there, somewhat rearranged, plus a few I don't recognize. But-well, judge the treatment by its fruits; he's coming around." The alien's eyes blinked open. He looked as though he were frightened, but trying not to show it.
"Touch and go there for a bit," McCoy said. "But you're no longer in danger."
"You are aboard the Starship Enterprise," Kirk added.
"I have heard of it," the alien said, relieved. "It is in the fleet of the United Federation of Planets?"
"Correct," Kirk said. "And so is that shuttlecraft in which you were flying."
"It was?"
"Don't you usually know whose property you're steal-ing?"
"I am not a thief!"
"You're certainly no ordinary thief," Kirk said, "con-sidering what it is you appropriated."
"You are being very loose with your accusations and drawing conclusions without any facts."
"I know you made off with a ship that didn't belong to you."
"I do not 'make off' with things," the alien said, biting off the words. "My need gave me the right to its use-and note the word well, sir-the use of the ship."
Kirk shrugged. "You can try those technical evasions with Starfleet Command. You'll face your charges there."
"I am grateful that you rescued me," the alien said with sudden dignity.
"Don't mention it We're glad we caught you. Who are you?"
"My name is Lokai."
"Go on."
"I am from the planet Cheron."
"If I remember correctly," Spock said, "that is located in the southernmost part of the Galaxy, in a quarter that is still uncharted."
"What are you doing so far from your home?" Kirk asked. Lokai did not answer. "You know that upon completion of our mission, you will be returned to Star-base to face a very serious charge."
"The charge is trifling, I would have returned the ship as soon as I had-" Lokai stopped abruptly.
"Had what? What were you planning to do?"
"You monotoned humans are all alike," Lokai said in a sudden burst of fury. "First condemn and then attack!" Struggling to get a rein on his temper, he sank back. "I will answer no more questions."
"However we view him, Captain," Spock said, "he is certainly no ordinary specimen."
Lokai looked at the First Officer as though seeing him for the first time. "A Vulcan!"
"Don't think he'll be any easier on you," McCoy said. "He's half human."
"That's a strange combination.''
Spock raised one eyebrow. "Fascinating that you should think so."
"You're not like any being we've ever encountered," Kirk added. "We'd like to know more about you and your planet."
"I-I'm very tired."
"I think that's an evasion. Surely you owe your res-cuers some candor."
"I insist," Lokai said, deliberately closing his eyes. "I am extremely tired. Your vindictive cross-examination has exhausted me."
Kirk looked down at the self-righteous thief for a mo-ment. Then Chekov's voice said from the intercom, "Con-tact with alien ship, Captain. They request permission to beam a passenger aboard. They say it's a police matter."
"Very well. I'll see him on the bridge. Let's go, Mr. Spock."
Still another surprise awaited them there. The new-comer was almost a double for Lokai-except that he was black on his right side and white on his left.
"I am Bele," he said. His manner was assured and ingratiating.
Kirk eyed him warily. "Of the planet Cheron, no doubt. What brings you to us?"
"You bear precious cargo. Lokai. He has taken refuge aboard this ship. I am here to claim him."
"All personnel on this vessel are subject to my com-mand. No one 'claims' anyone without due process."