"Quotations? This, this thing wants us to tell it the right quotation to let us go? Now that has to be a first. We have been here what, four days and given it thousands of quotations but not the right one." Doctor McCoy was on the bridge pacing as he usually did in Sickbay and looking between the forward view screen and James Kirk.
"Doctor, it is illogical to believe we will find the right quotation that this being is seeking. We know nothing about this being other than it has been responsible for the destruction of three Starfleet vessels and several civilian craft. It has proven to be unaffected by any of our weapons and has the power to cause massive electrical interruptions in the ship as well as fluctuations in life-support. It is preventing us from having access to the computer and little else apart from ship wide broadcasting facilities. It has also been able to halt us and keep us where we are. While it can communicate it has made it clear it will only communicate again with us when it tires of waiting and is about to kill us or we do, somehow, come across the right quotation." Spock looked at McCoy and at Kirk.
Kirk looked at McCoy and nodded. They both had always found there was something strangely reassuring about his steady yet also oddly annoying. It was that acceptance of things as they were, not as they appeared to be. It was Spock's ability to be so direct, to state the facts with no embellishments, that he had relied on so often, that he had always counted on.
"Keptin," the young navigator turned and faced Kirk.
"Now just now, Pavel." McCoy had almost snapped. "I do not know about the others but I have had enough Russian sayings."
"No, Bones. I agree that we may have had enough sayings, in a few cases more than enough sayings, from other places but go ahead, Chekov."
"Vat it said. It said about agreeing and not arguing."
"That is right."
"There is a Russian saying,"
"I warned you," McCoy looked at Kirk and rolled his eyes.
"It is one my grandmother used to say to me. A mere friend vill almost always agree with you but a real friend vill argue with you if they believe that you are wrong."
"Well," McCoy shook his head, "That is better than that one about little thieves being handed while great thieves escape."
"I believe Mister Chekov is correct, Captain." Spock looked at Kirk. "If you recall in the short communications we did have with this entity it did state that it was up to us to agree or argue about the worth of each quotation. On all the quotations and sayings we have offered to it we have agreed. On this one we have a disagreement, almost an argument."
Kirk looked at this two friends then at the faces of those on the bridge. They had been there when all the other saying and quotes had been send and he saw a nod from each of them. They knew, as he did, that they had about run out of saying as they had had to rely just on those known by the crew.
"Okay, Spock send it."
"This is the Enterprise. We believe you may be interested in the old saying from Earth's Russia, 'A mere friend will almost always agree with you but a real friend will argue with you if they believe that you are wrong.'"
As usual there was no response. For a moment Kirk, McCoy and Spock exchanged a look of near despair.
Then that voice filling the bridge, "Thank you for all the new sayings and quotes. It has taken me this long to find the one to free my kind." before all the panels around the bridge came to life, Uhura reported reports for all decks stating things had returned to normal, and the forward screen showed they were moving again.
After several minutes of standing at his viewer, entering data into his computer Spock turned to Kirk, "It did not register on any frequency as any life form or, in fact, any form of energy, and yet we know it exists. Fascinating."
"Maybe to you it is fascinating, but it should not be surprising as that thing did not register before it stopped us."
"It is the fact that something that did not register yet could do what it did is what is fascinating, Doctor. If you,"
"Okay, that proves it," Kirk smiled.
"Proves what, Jim?"
"You two, arguing." he looked at both Spock and McCoy and smiled broadly as he waved his right index finger back and forth at both of them, "You must be real friends as you do argue a great deal when you think you are right."