Star Trek - Blish, James - 05

by 05(lit)

  "Thank you."

  "At least we know where they are and what they're doing," Scott said. "I don't know why a young head has to be an undisciplined one. Troublemakers."

  "I made a bit of trouble at that age, Scotty. I think you may have."

  The intercom buzzed. "Spock to bridge."

  "Go ahead."

  "Captain, something strange is taking place. Two of the boys slipped out of the group somewhere during the last five minutes, and now the girls are beginning to go. And it is not Haydn's Farewell Symphony they are stag-ing, either."

  "Come to the bridge."

  "Something strange here too," Sulu said. "I have no response on controls. We're going off course."

  Scott crossed to Sulu's console and checked it. "It's shorted-no, it's channeled over somewhere-yes, to auxiliary control."

  As Spock entered, Kirk began calling. "Bridge to. auxiliary control. Bridge to auxiliary control."

  "Captain," Spock said, "in my opinion someone else is running the ship."

  "That's right, Captain," said Sevrin's voice from the intercom. "Someone else is running the ship. I am. All functions, Captain. Life support as well. I suggest that you do not attempt to regain control. I do not intend to return the helm to you until and unless we reach Eden. If I am in any way prevented from reaching that destina-tion, I shall destroy the ship and all aboard."

  Scott and Sulu had been frantically checking circuits. Now Scott said, "He can do it, Captain. He has got everything channeled over."

  "Start a traceback on all circuits. See if you can by-pass."

  "Do that," Sevrin's voice said, "and I shall retaliate. I shall not warn you again."

  "We are leaving the neutral zone now, Captain," Sulu said. "Bearing into Romulan space."

  "Do you read any patrols, Mr. Spock?"

  "No, sir."

  "They'll be on us soon enough. Dr. Sevrin! You are violating Romulan space and endangering the peace of the Galaxy. They will see this as a military intrusion and attack. Bring her about. Now. If you bring her about and return to Starbase, nothing will be said about this."

  "Like you said, brother Sevrin," said Adam's voice.

  "If you do not, you will never reach Eden. You and this ship will be destroyed. We would be no match for a Romulan flotilla."

  "He's got jelly in the belly," said Adam. "Real scared."

  "Adam, Rad--you are being led by a man who is insane. You are being used by him. Spock, tell them."

  "Adam," Spock said. "There is a file in the computer banks on Dr. Sevrin. You will find in it a report attesting to the fact that he is a carrier of a bacillus strain known as Synthococcus novae."

  "Ain't that just awful?"

  "You will also find a report from the same hospital giving a full psychiatric profile of him, projecting these actions of his."

  "Yeah, brother."

  "You know I reach you," Spock said. "I believe in what you seek. But there is a tragic difference between what you want and what he wants."

  "You're making me cry," Adam said. Then he began to sing:

  Heading out to Eden-

  Yeah, brother!

  Heading out to Eden-

  Yeah, brother!

  No more trouble in my body or my mind-

  I'll live like a king on whatever I find-

  Eat all the fruit and throw away the rind-

  Yeah, brother!"

  Kirk shut off the intercom; it was impossible even to try to determine a course of action through that noise. He got up and looked at Spock, who nodded.

  "We are within sensor range of Eden and continuing to approach," he said.

  "Whatever they're going to do, they'll do it now," Kirk said. "We have no choice left. Mr. Spock, Mr. Scott, come with me. And let's make it fast."

  He led them down the corridors to auxiliary control.

  "Phasers out and on full. Well cut through the door. If Sevrin stops Life Function, we should be able to get through and start it again before any serious conse-quences follow-I hope. Well take shortcuts in turn, so as not to risk killing somebody and damaging equipment when we hole through. I'll go first, then Spock, then Scott."

  His phaser spat, followed by Spock's. Then another sound started, like the whine of an oscillator, going higher and higher. Spock, with his sensitive hearing, reacted first. He dropped his phaser and clapped his hands to his ears.

  "Mr. Spock!" As Kirk went to him the sound stopped. "It has stopped. It's all right, Mr. Spock."

  "It-hasn't stopped-Captain. It is beyond-no! Cap-tain-they are using..."

  Kirk's head suddenly swam. If there was an end to Spock's sentence, he never heard it.

  An unknown time later, Kirk came to, finding the cor-ridor just as before, Spock and Scott stirring to consciousness. No, not just as before; the door to auxiliary control was open, and there was no one in there.

  The three of them got to their feet and staggered in. Spock pointed. "There it is. An ultrasonic generator, feed-ing into the ventilation system..."

  The First Officer suddenly leaped forward and smashed the device with an iron first.

  "Why did you do that?" Kirk said. "The parts could have..."

  "It was set to go off again in a few seconds, Captain- and this time on a killing frequency. It must have been Sevrin's work; I doubt that the youngsters would have let him do it had they known the device could be made lethal. Clearly he didn't intend us to get back to make any reports."

  Kirk grabbed the intercom and began calling. "Kirk to bridge. Come in, do you read me? Engineering. Hangar deck. Transporter Room. Do you read me? Kirk to bridge."

  "Captain?" Scott's voice said.

  "Sulu here, Captain. What happened to us? I heard a whistle and then..."

  "Never mind, Sulu," Kirk said. "Do we have control of the ship?"

  "It's still all in auxiliary, sir," said Chekov's voice. "Some of the gear is jammed."

  "Can we break orbit if we have to?"

  "I think so, sir."

  "Hangar deck to Captain."

  "Kirk here."

  "Sir, one of the shuttlecrafts has been taken. We were all knocked out..."

  "Stand by. Mr. Spock, do you read any Romulans?"

  "Negative, Captain. I am picking up the shuttlecraft, however."

  "Where?"

  "It has landed. Sir, except for those aboard the shut-tlecraft, I read no sign of life at all. Neither animal nor humanoid. And there are only five life forms aboard the craft."

  "Auxiliary control to McCoy. Bones, are you all right?"

  "Yes, Jim."

  "Stand by the Transporter Room. Full medical gear."

  "Bridge to Captain Kirk," said Uhura's voice. "Do you wish hailing frequency, sir?"

  "No. They tried to destroy us. Let them think they succeeded. I want coordinates zeroed in so that when we beam down we are not visible to them. Mr. Scott, the con is yours. If a Romulan patrol appears, hold in orbit; Lieutenant Uhura is to try to make them under-stand. I don't want to provoke combat. Mr. Chekov, join us in the Transporter Room. Mr. Spock, you too."

  The garden was brilliant with sunshine, dazzling with flower color, opulent with heavy-laden fruit trees, one of them a giant. But it was utterly silent. The landing party looked about in awe.

  The legends were true, sir," Spock said in a low voice. "A fantastically beautiful planet."

  "Eden," said Chekov.

  Kirk said, "It almost-was this what they believed they'd find?" Spock nodded. "I can understand now. But why have they remained in their ship? Well, spread out and approach with caution."

  The other three moved away. Kirk remained where he was, flipping open his communicator. "Dr. Sevrin, this is Captain Kirk. You are under arrest. You will debark from your ship."

  The shuttlecraft remained silent, its doors shut. Then there came a whimpering little sound, in Irina's voice. "No...."

  "You will come out at once."

  "No! No!" This time it was a scream of pure terror. Kirk went after Mc
Coy.

  "Bones, you heard that? What do you make of it?"

  "She sounds terrified."

  "Of what?"

  McCoy took out his tricorder. "I don't know, Jim. I don't read anything abnormal. Wait a minute..."

  There was a yell of pain from Chekov. He was standing by a flowering plant, his right fist clenched to his chest, his face contorted. They got to him fast.

  "What is it, Chekov?"

  "The flower, sir. I touched it. It's like fire."

  McCoy forced him to unclench the fist. Fingers and palm were stained and seared. The surgeon aimed the tricorder at it, then at the flower, the plant proper, the grasses.

  The sap in it is pure acid," McCoy said. "All the plant life. The grass, too." He took out his medical kit and smeared ointment over Chekov's hand.

  "Their feet!" Kirk said. "They were barefoot! Don't touch a thing. Bones, will our clothing protect us?"

  "For a short time."

  "Captain," Spock called. "Come over here, please."

  He was standing under the largest fruit tree. Kirk joined him and looked down. Adam lay dead on the ground, twisted, a half-eaten piece of fruit from the tree still clutched in his hand.

  "Bones," said Kirk.

  McCoy took readings. "Poison. The fruit is deadly."

  Spock bent and picked up the body, his enormous strength holding it easily. He looked at Kirk. "His name was Adam."

  Understanding now, Kirk walked to the shuttlecraft openly, Spock beside him. Kirk pushed a button, and the doors opened. He called in gently, "You will be cared for."

  The girls and Rad came limping out, murmuring in pain.

  "It hurts," Irina said.

  "I know," Spock said. "It hurts us all."

  Chekov went at once to Irina and held her comfort-ingly as McCoy began to treat her. Kirk went on inside the craft

  Dr. Sevrin sat on the deck in the yoga position, im-mobile, heedless of his blistered, naked feet. His injuries were shockingly worse than those of the others.

  "Bones, in here, please! Dr. Sevrin-Dr. Sevrin. Look at him, Bones. How can he stand it?"

  "He should be beamed aboard. He needs more atten-tion than I can give him here."

  "No!" Sevrin said suddenly. "No. We are not leaving."

  "We'll take care of you aboard the ship," Kirk said.

  "We are not leaving Eden. None of us."

  "Be sensible, Sevrin."

  "We're not leaving!" As Kirk bent to help him, Sevrin thrust him savagely aside, lunged for the door and ran, despite the agony it must have cost him. He plunged straight toward the huge fruit tree. There was no chance of stopping him; by the time Kirk and McCoy were out of the craft, he had reached the tree, seized a fruit and bitten into it

  "No! I have found my Eden!"

  Then he moaned, doubled, and fell.

  The group by the shuttlecraft were for a moment paralyzed by shock. Then Chekov turned to Irina. "He too is dead, Irina."

  She looked at him in a daze. "And the dream is dead. He sacrificed so much for it. When we landed, and he saw Eden finally, he cried, all of us felt the same. It was so beautiful. And we ran out into it-and..."

  "Spock to Enterprise. Mr. Scott, stand by to beam the injured aboard. Medical team to the Transporter Room."

  Everything was normal again on the bridge. Uhura said, "I have Starbase now, Captain."

  "Alert them that we have the four and will be beaming them down. And mark the incident closed."

  "Yes, sir."

  "Bridge to Transporter Room. Scotty, are they there?"

  Three of them, sir."

  "Stand by. Mr. Chekov, do you wish to attend?"

  Chekov stood hesitantly. "Captain, sir, I wish first to apologize for my conduct during this time. I-did not maintain myself under proper discipline. I endangered the ship and its personnel by my conduct. I respectfully submit myself for disciplinary action."

  "Mr. Chekov," Kirk said with a faint smile. "You did what you had to. As all of us did. Even your friends. You may go."

  "Thank you, sir."

  He started for the elevator, but as he did so, the doors opened and Irina stepped out. For a moment they looked at each other in silence.

  "I was coming to say goodbye," Chekov said.

  "And I was coming to say goodbye to you."

  They kissed, gently, sadly. Irina said, "Be incorrect, oc-casionally."

  "And you be correct."

  "Occasionally."

  She turned back to the elevator, but was intercepted by Spock. "Miss Galliulin, it is my sincere wish that you do not give up your search for Eden," he said. "I do not doubt but that you will find it-or make it yourselves."

  She bowed her head, entered the elevator and was gone. Chekov and Spock went back to their posts. Chekov still seemed to be caught in the moment; then he be-came aware of the silence about him, the awareness of the others. He looked around.

  Kirk was smiling faintly; he turned to Spock, whose face was expressionless, but who was nodding.

  Kirk said, "We reach, Mr. Chekov."

  The End