Star Trek - Blish, James - 03

by 03(lit)

  Kirk dropped his hands to his belt-since he did not know how to return the strange salute-and encountered something else unfamiliar. A brief glance confirmed what he had feared: his uniform, too, had undergone the strange changes.

  "At norm," Spock said to the transporter chief, in a voice loaded with savage harshness. "Captain, do you mean the Halkans have weapons that could resist us? Our socioanalysis indicates that they are incapable of vio-lence."

  Kirk could not answer. He was spared having to, for at that moment Sulu entered the Transporter Room. His movements, his manner, were cold, arrogant, hypercompe-tent, but that was not the worst of it. The symbol on his breast, the galaxy with the dagger through it, had inside it also a clenched fist, around the blade of the dagger, from which blood was dripping. It was an extreme parody of something familiar; it showed that the gentle Sulu, the ship's navigator and helmsman, was now her chief security officer.

  Sulu did not salute. He barked, "Status of mission, Captain?"

  "No change," Kirk said carefully.

  "Standard procedure, then?"

  Kirk did not know what this question meant under these eerie circumstances, but he doubted that operating by the book-whatever the book might say-would ac-complish much more than delaying matters, and time was what he needed. Therefore, he nodded.

  Sulu turned to the nearest intercom. "Mr. Chekov. You will program phaser barrage on Halkan cities, at the rate of one million electron volts per day, in a gradually con-tracting circle around each. Report when ready."

  "Right, Mr. Sulu." Was Kirk imagining it, or was there something thick and gloating in Chekov's voice?

  "Unfortunate," Spock said, "that this race should choose suicide to annexation. They possess qualities that could be useful to the Empire."

  There was the sputtering hum of an overload from the transporter. Spock's head jerked toward the transporter chief, and then, slowly, inexorably, he advanced on the man. Incredibly, the transporter chief cringed.

  "Are you not aware, chief, that we are in a magnetic storm? And that you were ordered to compensate?"

  "Mr. Spock, sir, I'm sorry. The ion-flux is so unpredict-able..."

  "Carelessness with Empire equipment is intolerable." Spock held out his hand toward Sulu, without looking. "Mr. Sulu, your agonizer."

  Sulu plucked a small device from his belt and dropped it in Spock's outstretched palm. In a vicious burlesque of the Vulcan neck pinch, Spock clapped it to the transporter chiefs shoulder.

  The man screamed. Spock prolonged the agony. When he let go, the chief dropped writhing to the deck.

  "More attention to duty next time, please. Mr. Scott, the storm has produced minor damage in your section. Doctor McCoy, there are also some minor injuries requiring your attention." Abruptly, he kicked the semiconscious man on the floor. "You might begin with this hulk."

  McCoy, whose running feud with the First Officer had always had a solid undercurrent of affection to moderate it, wore the look of a man whose worst nightmare has abruptly come true. Kirk saw him balling his fists, and moved in fast.

  "Get moving, Dr. McCoy. You too, Mr. Scott."

  Their expressions flickered for a moment, and then both looked down. Now they knew how the Captain wanted them to play it. At least, Kirk hoped so. In any event, they went out without further comment.

  The transporter chief dragged himself to his feet to follow. It did not seem to surprise him at all that the ship's doctor, who had just been ordered to attend to him, had not said a word to him. He said, "Mr. Spock..."

  "What?"

  "Sir, the beam power jumped for a moment, sir-just as the landing party materialized. I never saw anything like it before. I thought you ought to know, sir."

  Kirk had already heard more 'sirs' in ten minutes than were normal to the Enterprise in a week. Spock said, "Another inefficiency?"

  "No, sir, the settings were perfectly normal. I made my error after the party arrived, sir, if I may so remind you."

  "Very well. Go to Sickbay. Captain, do you feel any ill effects?"

  Kirk could answer that one with no trouble. "Yes, Mr. Spock, I am decidedly shaken up. I expect Lieutenant Uhura is too. I believe we too had better report to Sickbay for a checkup."

  "You will of course report instantly if you are found incompetent to command," Sulu said. It was not a question.

  "Of course, Mr. Sulu."

  "And the matter of the Halkans? A quick bombardment would solve the problem with the least effort."

  "I am aware of your-orders-Mr. Sulu. I will give you my judgment as soon as I-feel myself assured that I am competent to give it."

  "Most sensible."

  As Kirk and Uhura left, everyone again saluted- except Sulu. On the trip to Sickbay, Kirk became aware that there were more guards posted along the corridors than he had ever seen except during the worst kind of major alert. None of them were in standard uniforms; in-stead, they wore fatigues, like civilian workmen. All saluted. None seemed surprised not to have the salutes returned.

  Uhura gasped with relief as the door of Sickbay slid closed behind them and the four people who had been the landing party were once more alone together. "What's happened?" she said in a low, intense voice.

  "Don't talk too fast," Kirk said instantly, though he himself was talking as fast as he could possibly get the words out. He stabbed a finger toward McCoy's intercom. "Something in the air suggests that that thing is perma-nently open."

  The rest nodded. It was a lucky thing that they had all been together so long; it made elliptical talk possible among them. "Now, Bones, that medical. I want you to check for likely effects. I suggest brainwaves first."

  "I've already checked myself and Scotty, sir. No hallu-cinatory or hypnotic effects. We are dealing with-uh, a perception of reality, if you follow me."

  "I'm afraid I do. Mr. Scott, do you detect any changes in the Enterprise which-might have a bearing on our reactions?"

  Scott inclined his head and listened. "I hear some sort of difference in the impulse engines. Of course they may just be laboring against the magnetic storm. However, the difference seems to me to be, well, technological in nature, sir."

  "Excuse me, Captain," Uhura said, "but I feel a little out of my depth. I felt quite dizzy for a moment after we materialized in the beams. Would it be possible..."

  She did not finish the sentence, but instead made the gesture of someone fitting a bucket or a large hat over McCoy's intercom. The physician's eyebrows went up. He stepped to where his diagnostic apparatus should have been, veered in disgust as he found that it had been moved, and then flicked switches.

  "I should have thought of that in the first place," he said, "but I'm as confused as anybody here. Everybody used to complain that my stereotaxic screen jammed the intercoms; let's hope it still does."

  "We'll have to take the chance," Kirk said. "Lieutenant Uhura, I felt the same effect. At the same time, we were in our normal Transporter Room-and then it faded, we were back on the planet, and then got beamed back to this situation-whatever it is. And the transporter chief- where is he, by the way?"

  "I made him mildly sick," McCoy said, "and sent him to quarters. A nasty reversal of role for a doctor, but I want him out of Spock's reach for a while."

  "Well, he mentioned an abnormal effect in the transport-er itself. And there's this ion storm."

  "Captain," Scott said slowly, "are we thinking the same thing?"

  "I don't know, Scotty. But everything fits thus far. It fits with a parallel universe, coexisting with ours, on an-other dimensional plane-or maybe on another level of probability; everything duplicated-almost. An Empire instead of a Federation. Another Enterprise-another Spock..."

  "Another Jim Kirk?" Scott said quietly. "Another Dr. McCoy?"

  "No," McCoy said in startled realization. "An ex-change! If we're here..."

  "Our counterparts were beaming at the same time," Kirk said. "Ion storms are common enough, after all. Another storm disrupted another set of circu
its. Now we're here; they're on our ship, and probably asking each other much the same questions. And coming to the same tentative conclusions. They'll ask the computer what to do. That's what we'll have to do."

  McCoy began to pace. "What about the Halkans? We can't let them be wiped out, even if this is another, completely different set of Halkans, in another universe."

  "I don't know, Bones. I've got to buy a lot of tune.

  Scotty, get below and short the main phaser coupling.

  Make it look like the storm blew the standby circuits. Lieutenant Uhura, get to your post and run today's communications from Starfleet Command, or whatever the equivalent is here. I've got to know my exact orders, and options, if any. And by the way, when we want to talk to each other after we're separated, use communicators, and on the subspace band only. And scramble, too."

  Uhura and the engineer nodded and left. McCoy had halted his pacing before a sort of glass cage. In it was what appeared to be a large bird, affixed with electrodes. A chart hung beside it.

  "What in blazes!" McCoy said. "Jim, look at this. A specimen of an 'annexed' race. I.Q., 180. Experiment in life-support for humans under conditions prevailing on its native planet-heart and lung modifications. It's alive- and if I'm any judge, it's in agony. I won't have such an abomination in my Sickbay!"

  "You'll have to, for a while," Kirk said, not without sympathy. "We've got to stay in character until we can get more information. It's an ugly universe, and we don't want to do anything that'll get us stuck with it."

  On the bridge, there was a huge duplicate of the galaxy-and-dagger device, and the Captain's chair had widely flared arms, almost like a throne. The man who should be Chekov was eyeing Uhura with open, deliber-ate, speculative interest, his intent unmistakable. Nobody else seemed to find this unusual or even interesting. Kirk went directly to her.

  "Any new orders, Lieutenant?"

  "No, sir. You are still ordered to annihilate the Halkans, unless they comply. No alternative action has been prescribed."

  "Thank you." He went to his chair and sank in. It felt downright luxurious. "Report, Mr. Sulu?"

  "Phasers locked on Target A, Captain. Approaching op-timum range. Shall I commence fire?"

  "I want a status report first." He touched the intercom. "Mr. Scott?"

  "Scott here, sir. I have no change to report, sir. No damage to phasers."

  "Very good, Mr. Scott." In fact it was very bad, but there was no help for it. As he switched out, Spock came onto the bridge.

  "The planet's rotation is carrying the primary target beyond arc of phaser lock," Sulu said. "Shall I correct orbit to new firing position?"

  "No."

  Sulu flicked a switch. "Now locked on secondary target city."

  "Mr. Spock," Kirk said. "You said the Halkans could be useful. After my visit with them, I agree."

  "If they chose to cooperate. They have not."

  "Lieutenant Uhura, contact the Halkan Council. We'll make one more try." Noting Spock's surprise, he added, "This is a new race. They offer other things of value besides dilithium crystals."

  "But-it is clear that we cannot expect cooperation. They have refused the Empire. Command Procedure dic-tates that we provide the customary example. A serious breach of Standard Orders..."

  "I have my reasons, Mr. Spock-and I'll make them clear in my own good time."

  "Captain," Uhura said, "the Halkan leader is waiting on Channel B."

  Kirk swung to the small viewscreen above Uhura's station. Tharn was on the screen. He looked much tireder, indeed more tragic, than he had when Kirk had seen him last. Now, how would it be possible to make this sound plausible?

  "It is useless to resist us," he said at random.

  "We do not resist you," Tharn said,

  "You have, uh, twelve hours in which to reconsider your position."

  "Twelve years, Captain Kirk, or twelve thousand, will make no difference," Tharn said calmly and with great dignity. "We are ethically compelled to refuse your de-mand for dilithium crystals. You would use their power to destroy."

  "We will level your planet and take what we want. That is destruction. You would die as a race..."

  "To preserve what we are. Yes. Perhaps someday your slave planets will all defy you, as we have done. When that comes, how will your starships be able to control a whole galaxy?"

  "Switch out, Lieutenant." The screen went blank.

  "Twelve hours, Captain?" Spock said. "That is un-precedented."

  "Phasers off, Mr. Sulu."

  "This conduct must be reported, Captain," Spock said. "You have placed yourself in a most grave position."

  "You are at liberty to do so, Mr. Spock," Kirk said, rising. "Take charge. I will be in the briefing room. In-form me of any change. Lieutenant Uhura, attend me there and order Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott also to report there. Mr. Chekov, relieve Lieutenant Uhura."

  He could only hope that this flurry of orders, plus his breach of an unknown regulation, would obscure the fact that he had just called together the landing party.

  "Everybody watch your step," Scott said. "They move up through assassination around here. My engine-room chief just tried for me-not personally, but through hench-men. I only got out of it because one of them switched sides."

  "What about the technology, Scotty?"

  "Mostly variations in instrumentation. Nothing I can't handle. As for star-readings-everything's where it ought to be-except us."

  Kirk crossed to the desk and looked down at the com-puter tap. "Let's see what we're up against. Computer, this is the Captain. Record a Security Research, to be classified under my voiceprint and Mr. Scott's."

  "Recorded," said the computer in a harsh masculine voice. Evidently this universe had never discovered that men pay more attention to a machine when its voice is feminine.

  "Produce all data relevant to recent magnetic storm, and correlate following hypothesis. Could a storm of that magnitude cause a power surge in transporter circuits, creating momentary interdimensional contact with a paral-lel universe?"

  "Affirmative."

  "At such a moment, could persons in each universe, in the act of beaming, be transposed with their counterparts in the other universe?"

  "Affirmative."

  "Can conditions necessary to such an event be artificial-ly reproduced?"

  "Affirmative."

  "Record procedure and switch off."

  A slot in the desk opened and a spool of tape slid out. Kirk handed it to Scott. "It looks like the ball is yours, Scotty."

  "I'll have to tap the power for it out of the warp engines, and balance it for the four of us," the engineer said dubiously. "It's a two-man job, and I'm afraid you'd be too conspicuous, Captain. So would Lieutenant Uhura. Come on, McCoy, let's lay it out."

  "I'm not an engineer," McCoy said indignantly.

  "You will be. Captain, keep up our public relations, please!"

  The two went out. After a moment, Uhura said, "Cap-tain-the way this ship is run-what kind of people are we in this universe? I mean, what kind of people do we have to pretend to be?"

  "Let's find out. Computer. Readout of official record of current command."

  "Captain: James T. Kirk. Succeeded to command E. S. S. Enterprise through assassination of Captain Karl Franz. First action: suppression of Gorlan uprising, through de-struction of rebel home planet. Second action: execution of five thousand colonists on S Doradus Nine, forcing colony to retract secession. Third action..."

  "Cancel. Lieutenant, do you really want to hear it tell you what you're like?"

  Lt. Uhura shuddered. "No. If the way the local Chekov looks at me is any clue, I'll probably hear that my predecessor at my post was my lover, and I got the job by knifing him. How can you run a fifty billion credit star-ship like a pirate vessel?"

  "Pirate ships were pretty efficiently run, Lieutenant. Every man feared those above him-with the strongest at the top. Morgan took Panama with his buccaneer ships as neatly as a squadron of naval ve
ssels might have."

  "And then was stabbed in his sleep?"

  "No, henchmen protected him-not out of respect or devotion, but because his abilities brought them what they wanted. Other checks and balances-other means to the same end."

  "But what end?"

  "This ship is efficient-or it wouldn't exist. Its Captain was efficient, or he'd be dead. And this Empire will get the dilithium crystals it wants-efficiently."

  Uhura's expression remained grim. "And what do you suppose our counterparts are doing, aboard our version of the Enterprise?"