After hearing Keenser's whimper at Mr. Scott's departure, he decided to provide some comfort to his new acquaintance.
"Fear not, Mr. Keenser. James T. Kirk has never failed at any endeavor he has set his considerable mind to. I calculate their odds of success to be 94.76%," Spock said as he began examining the bay where the two had been left.
When he turned his gaze back to Keenser, he saw the disbelief displayed there and responded to the unvoiced question.
"Yes, indeed, Mr, Keenser. Those estimates do seem high, but you lack sufficient information to determine the probability. You have failed to take into account, what may be referred to as, the Kirk Factor. James Kirk's presence in a series of events invariably skews the results and displaces the Law of Probability. To properly calculate their odds, it is necessary to find the probability of success without Jim Kirk, increase it by a factor of twenty-five, and then subtract the quotient of the usual probability divided by 3.05," Spock explained.
Keenser graced Spock with another strange look that conveyed his meaning.
Spock spoke, "I am well aware of the fact that this James Kirk is an entirely seperate being from the James Kirk of my universe, Mr. Keenser. However, I have deduced several things about alternate universes from my experiences here, in this universe, and from my experiences in two others. I can tell you with certainty that there are constants throughout all of the universes."
Spock paused and took a breath. Then, he began listing his deductions, "The first is that the most stubborn being allowed in any particular universe goes by the name of James Tiberius Kirk. The second is that every Leonard McCoy will invariably find a corresponding James Kirk to constantly save. The third is that any Hikaru Sulu is extraordinarily gifted with any form of a blade. The fourth is that Pavel Chekov is always an extremely ambitious , Nyota Uhura is the most accomplished linguist of her time. The sixth is that Montgomery Scott can always be counted on to fix any engine, given enough time."
Keenser looked unimpressed.
Spock added one more multi-universal constant, "The seventh and final constant is that those six beings and that particular universe's Spock may all be found onboard the USS Enterprise."
Keenser shook his head and walked back to his desk, dismissing Spock's monologue as the ramblings of an old man. Spock continued pondering.
"This does bring up some serious philosophical quandaries," Spock said, "If those are constants in all universes, does that mean that the seven of us posses no free will? Or is it simply that all avenues of decision happen to lead the eight of us to the same place? Does it even really matter if free will is an active force or not? For if every decision sets forth an action, whether predetermined or not, the results of said action are unknown to their performer. Hmm. I must revisit this chain of thought later."
Spock looked over to Keenser and saw Keenser's distraction.
"Ah," Mr. Spock began, "I appear to be boring you, Mr. Keenser."
Keenser gave Spock a look that quite easily conveyed his agreement.
"Very well. A new topic then," Spock told the small man.
"You may find it interesting to know that, while I am familiar with almost every being Jim regaled, I have never, in fact, come across your mirror," the Vulcan said.
Keenser shook his head.
"No? Well, if you do not find that phenomenon fascinating, perhaps you wish me to explain the principles of transwarp beaming. You are, after all, a physicist," the Ambassador said.
Mr. Keenser's head lifted and his interest was finally piqued. Mr. Spock began, continued, and concluded teaching Mr. Keenser the prinicples, merits, and limitations of transwarp beaming. By the time the Starfleet Admiralty contacted the Delta Vega base for information regarding the events surrounding the Narada, Mr. Keenser was already an expert in the field. He would soon be reassigned to the USS Enterprise to teach the ship's new Cheif Engineering Officer, a man by the name of Montgomery Scott, the intricacies of transwarp beaming.