by 05(lit)
"Because you disapproved of me. Just as you do now. Oh, Pavel, you have always been like this. So correct. And inside, the struggle not to be. Give in to yourself. You will be happier. You'll see."
"Go to your friends," Chekov said grayly.
After a moment she left, still with that maddening smile. There seemed to be another hubbub starting in the corridor. Chekov went after her, quickly.
The noise was coming from outside sickbay, where there was something very like a melee going on. The group from the Aurora was trying to get in, over the opposition of Nurse Chapel and two security guards. The group was shouting noisily, angrily, demanding entrance, demanding to see Sevrin.
Kirk came out of the elevator and forced his way through the crowd, not without a what-the-hell glance toward Chekov.
"Herbert Herbert Herbert Herbert Herbert..."
The sickbay doors shut automatically behind Kirk and Nurse Chapel, mercifully deadening the sound. "I thought all those animals were in their cages," she said.
Sevrin was sitting on a bed, defiant, the two medics standing ready to grab him. McCoy was finishing what had evidently been a strenuous examination.
"What's going on, Bones?"
"Trouble. Your friend here didn't want a checkup. Turns out there was a reason."
"I refuse to accept your findings," Sevrin said.
"You don't have the choice."
"They are the product of prejudice, not science."
"I don't know what this man was planning to do on a primitive planet," McCoy continued. "Assuming it existed. But I can tell you what would happen if he'd settled there. Within a month there wouldn't be enough of those primitives left to bury their dead."
"Fantasy," Sevrin said. "Fantasy."
"I wish it were. There's a nasty little bug evolved in the last few years, Jim. Our aseptic, sterilized civilizations produced it. Synthococcus novae. It's deadly. We can immunize against it but we haven't licked all its problems yet"
"Does he have it?" Kirk asked. "What about the others?"
"The others are clear. And he doesn't have it. He's a carrier. Remember your ancient history? Typhoid Mary? He's immune to it, as she was. But he carries the disease, spreads it to others."
"Is the crew in danger?"
"Probably not. They all had full spectrum immuniza-tions before boarding. My guess is that his friends had their shots too. But a regular program of booster shots is necessary. I'll have to check on everyone aboard. There may have been some skips. Until that's done, this fellow should be kept in total isolation."
"This is outrageous," Sevrin said. "There is nothing wrong with me. You're not isolating me, you're imprison-ing me. You invent the crime, find me guilty, sentence me..."
"Would you like to run the tests yourself, Doctor?" There was no answer. "You knew you were a carrier before you started out, didn't you?"
"No!"
"Then why did you fight the examination?"
"It was an infringement on my rights as a human being..."
"Oh, stop ranting."
"Put him in isolation," Kirk said.
"Be ready for his friends' objections. They're a vocal lot."
"I'm ready."
There was still a crowd in the corridor; four of the Aurora group (one girl was missing) were sitting or sprawling on the deck; among them stood Sulu, Chekov and several crewmen. The protesters were chanting, but this time each of them had a different slogan.
"Eden now!"
"Free Ton Sevrin!"
"James T. Kirk is a brachycephalic jerk!"
"McCoy is a doctor of veterinary medicine!"
Sulu was talking to one of the girls, between slogans. He seemed confused but fascinated. Thus far no one had noticed Kirk's arrival.
"You don't belong with them," the girl was telling Sulu. "You know what we want. You want it yourself. Come, join us."
"How do you know what I want, Mavig?"
"You're young. Think young, brother." Lifting a hand to him, she gave him an egg.
"Mr. Sulu," Kirk said sharply. Sulu started, stiffened with embarrassment, and hastily gave the egg back to Mavig. "Explain, Mr. Sulu."
"No explanation, sir."
Kirk turned to the group, which had gotten even noisier upon seeing him, "Dr. Sevrin will be released as soon as we determine it is medically safe."
"Herbert Herbert Herbert Herbert..."
Ignoring them, Kirk strode toward the elevator with Sulu, stepping over the bodies. Chekov followed. As he approached Irina, she lay back provocatively.
"Don't stay with Herbert. Join us. You'll be happier. Come, Pavel."
"Link up, Pavel," Adam said.
"Join us."
"Link up, Pavel. Link up, Pavel."
Adam struck a chord on his instrument and began to sing:
Stiff man putting my mind in jail-
Judge bangs the gavel, and says No bail-
So I'll lick his hand and wag my tail....
Blessedly the elevator doors opened at this point, and Kirk, Sulu and Chekov made their escape.
The bridge was a haven of routine activity, with Spock in charge. Chekov and Sulu went to their posts. But before Kirk could settle, the intercom cut in with its signal.
"Engineering to bridge," Scott's voice said.
''Kirk here."
"Captain, I just had to give one of those barefooted what-do-you-call-ems the boot out of here. She came in bold as brass, tried to incite my crew to disaffect."
"All right, Scotty." He shut the intercom off and turned to Spock, his irritation finally breaking out. "Mr. Spock, I don't seem to communicate with these people. Do you think you can persuade them to behave?"
"I shall endeavor, sir."
"If it weren't for that Ambassador's son, they'd be in the brig."
"Yes, sir." Spock went out.
He found Sevrin sitting cross-legged in the isolation ward, in a yoga-like position, a cold, hostile figure. There was one security guard in the corridor outside. Spock stood on the other side of the isolation shield.
"Doctor, can you not keep your people from interfer-ing with the running of the ship?"
"I have no influence over what they do."
"They respect you. They will listen to your reasoning. For their sake, Doctor, you must stop them."
The baleful eyes lifted to Spock's face, answer enough in themselves.
"Dr. Sevrin, I can assist you and your group. I can use the resources of the Enterprise to establish whether or not Eden exists, and to plot its exact location. I can present a case to Federation that would allow your group to colonize that planet." There was no answer. "Neither you nor they are at present charged with any crime worse than theft, plus a few lesser matters. The charges may be waived. But incitement to mutiny would tip the balance. And Federation would never allow the col-onization of a planet by criminals. If they persist, they will be so charged, and forever barred from Eden."
"As I have been barred," Sevrin said softly. The voice was low, but the gleaming eyes were those of a fanatic.
Spock hesitated a moment. "Then you knew you were a carrier?"
"Of course I knew. You have researched my life. You have read the orders restricting me to travel only in areas of advanced technology, because of what my body car-ries."
"I fail to understand why you should disobey them."
"Because this is poison to me!" Sevrin looked around, as if seeing all the technology of the ship, representing all the technology of space. "This stuff you breathe, this stuff you live on. The shields of artificial atmosphere we have layered about every planet. The programs in those computers that run your ship and your lives for you. Those bred what my body carries! This is what your sciences have done for me! You have infected me!"
He shook his fist at the ceiling; his "you" was obvi-ously not Spock but the whole Galaxy. He began to pace.
"Only the primitives can cleanse me. I cannot purge myself until I am among them. Only their way of living is right. I must
go to them."
"Your very presence will destroy the people you seek out! Surely you know that."
"I shall go to them and be one of them. Together we will make a world such as this Galaxy has never seen. A world, a life. A life!" His passion spent, Sevrin sat down, and after a moment lifted his head to look at Spock, a faint smile on his lips. "And now you are about to assure me that your technologies will find a cure for me. And I will be free to go."
"Yes, Doctor."
"And for that reason I must persuade my friends to behave, so they too will be allowed."
"Yes."
"Send them in," Sevrin said, smiling still. "Ill talk to them."
It was an uneasy victory, whose outcome was un-certain. Spock went back to the bridge.
"They've been a lot quieter," Kirk reported. "How did you accomplish it?"
"It had nothing to do with me. Could I speak to you a moment, sir?"
Kirk rose and both went to Spook's console. "What is it?"
"Dr. Sevrin is insane. I did not consult Dr. McCoy. But I have no doubt of it."
"I'll have Bones check him again," Kirk said, stunned. "You had great respect for him. I'm sorry, Mr. Spock. But it explains some of what they've done."
"His collapse does not affect my sympathy with the movement, sir. There is no insanity in what they seek-- I made a promise which I should like to keep. With your permission, I must locate Eden. I shall work in my quarters. May I have the assistance of Mr. Chekov in the auxiliary control room?"
"Mr. Chekov, assist Mr. Spock."
The auxiliary control room was deserted except for Chekov, who was at the plotting console, bent over the computer, studying.
Spock's voice came over the intercom. "Ready for your plottings, Mr. Chekov."
Chekov fed a tape into the computer. The door opened, and Irina entered, hesitantly. "Am I allowed in?" she asked.
He concentrated stiffly on his work. "Yes."
"I have been looking for you, Pavel. What room is this?"
"Auxiliary control."
"What's it for?"
"Should the main control room break down or suffer damage, we can navigate the ship from here."
"Oh."
"What do you want?"
"To apologize. I should not have teased you. It was cruel."
"It doesn't matter," Chekov said.
"But it does. It is against everything I believe in."
"Let us not discuss your beliefs."
"And I do not like having you angry with me," she said softly. "Or disapproving."
"Then why do you do such things?"
She began to wander about the room, examining the panels in seeming childlike curiosity. Chekov continued working, but his eyes followed her when she was not looking in his direction. Then she came back to him. "What are you working on?"
"I am assisting Mr. Spock in locating your Eden."
"Now you are teasing me," she said in sudden sharp-ness.
"I am not. These tapes contain star charts, and we project the orbits of the various known planetary sys-tems here, determining by a mathematical process whether or not they are affected by other bodies not yet charted."
"Do you know all these things?"
"What I do not know I find out from the computer banks. If I knew nothing at all, I could navigate this ship simply by studying what is stored in there. They contain the sum of all human knowledge. They solve our problems of navigation, of control, of life support..."
She bent over the computer, close to him. They tell you what do do. And you do what they tell you."
"No. We use our own judgment also."
She came still closer. "I could never obey a computer."
"You could never listen to anyone. You always had to be different."
"Not different. What I wanted to be. There is nothing wrong in doing what you want."
She faced him, smiling still. Abruptly Chekov arose, took her in his arms, and kissed her hungrily.
"I am not receiving, Mr. Chekov," said the intercom. "Spock to Mr. Chekov. Repeat. I am not receiving."
Chekov broke free and opened his intercom. "I am sorry, Mr. Spock. I was momentarily delayed."
With permission, the Aurora group had stored its gear and bedded down in the Recreation Room. Adam and Mavig were relaxing when Rad entered.
"His name is Sulu," Rad said. "Specialist in weapons and navigation. His hobby is botany."
"Can?" said Adam.
"Can. I reach botany. It's my favorite of studies. What's yours?"
"Vulcan. Spock is practically One now."
Irina came in; the others were instantly alert
"Everything can be handled from auxiliary control. The computers contain all the information we need. We can do it."
"It starts to chime," Adam said.
"When will it?" Rad wanted to know.
"Soonest Like Sevrin said, now, we should go out, swing as many over as we can."
"You suggest any special ways to swing them?"
"Just be friendly. You know how to be friendly, then they'll be friendly and well all be one. All right? Scatter. Remember, it's a party we're inviting them to and we're providing the entertainment."
"I like parties," Rad said.
"I like the entertainment we've planned. All hit num-bers."
Adam and Rad grinned at each other. Then everyone went off, in different directions. Adam headed directly for Spock's quarters.
Spock said "Come in" absently. He was at his computer, studying the images, making notes. Adam approached him diffidently.
"Am I crossing you?" he asked. Spock shook his head. "I was wondering if-" He stopped, noting the lute hanging on the wall behind Spock. "Hey, brother. You play?"
Spock nodded.
"Is it Vulcan? Can I try it?"
Spock took the lute down and gave it to Adam, who tried several chords. "Oh, that's now. That's real now. I reach that, brother, I really do. Give."
He passed the lute back to Spock, who amusedly played a few runs.
"Hey. How about a session, you and us. It would sound. That's what I came for. I wanted to ask, you know, great white captain up there he don't reach us, but would he shake on a session? I mean, we want to cooperate like you asked, so I'm asking."
"If I understand you correctly," Spock said, "I believe the answer might be yes."
"I'll spread the word."
The Recreation Hall was jammed. Lights had been dimmed, with the effect of spotlighting the group. They were singing; for those crew members who could not be present, intercoms carried the music throughout the ship. The words went like this:
I'm talking about you.
I'm talking about me.
Long time back when the Galaxy was new,
Man found out what he had to do.
Found he had to eat and found he had to drink,
And a long time later he found he had to think.
(spoken)
I'm standing here wondering.
(sung)
If a man tells another man, 'Out of my way'
He piles up trouble for himself all day.
But all kinds of trouble come to an end
When a man tells another man, 'Be my friend.'
(spoken)
What's going to be?
(sung)
There's a mile wide emptiness between you and me,
Can't reach across it, hardly even see -
Someone ought to take a step one way or other.
Let's say goodbye- or let's say brother.
Hey out there
Hey out there
I see you
I see you
Let's get together and have some fun.
Don't know how to do it but it's got to be done.
There was enthusiastic applause. The three girls took up the song. The boys faded back, clapping rhythmically. The clapping soon spread throughout the audience.
On the bridge, Uhura, Sulu and Scott were at their posts, listening. When Kir
k came in, Uhura turned the intercom off.