Chapter Twenty-one
Commander Kaathos was in no doubt as to the fate of the Klingon ship sent to Skara to receive the hyperwarp. A message received by subspace had described the ship's final desperate moments in graphic detail. Commander K'Sath's last words had been to praise the glory of the Klingon Empire before he embraced his noble death with honour.
Before initiating his ship's self-destruct sequence, he had named his nemesis as Captain James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Kirk was well known to the Empire and much hated. Kaathos welcomed his chance to face Kirk in battle and make him pay for his transgressions against the Empire.
Messages received from the surface of the planet confirmed that H'Narth along with the two Klingon scientists had survived, and plans for the completion of the hyperwarp were still on schedule. Admiral Caton had referred to 'complications' in his latest communication, but he had not elaborated. As far as he was concerned, things were under control and Kaathos trusted Caton's judgement. After all, Caton had long since demonstrated his loyalty to the Klingon Empire and he was a man whom Kaathos was happy to do business with. Thanks to Caton, the Klingons would be ahead of the Federation in developing hyperwarp capability, and through Caton's negotiations, they would have a staunch ally in the Morana, an ally who could lead them to domination of their galaxy and beyond.
Kaathos could not help thinking ahead to the rewards of securing the hyperwarp for the Empire, but in the meantime, he needed to stay focussed on the task at hand. One possible problem was that the Morana had demanded a ship to take them back to their own space. The Enterprise would have been a prize catch, still could be if Kaathos's intelligence were good. She was on her way back to Skara, perhaps only a day or two behind the battlecruiser. Ion storms apart, this time she would fall to the Klingons and Kaathos would avenge the loss of the Vr'Tsak. He meant to take no prisoners.
From the bridge of his battlecruiser, Kaathos studied the fragile blue-green planet on the viewscreen. Its very resemblance to Earth stirred feelings of revulsion in him. Not long now. An advance landing party had already beamed down to the planet's surface; soon Caton and the Morana would beam aboard. A new, glorious era was about to dawn for the Klingon Empire and Kaathos would be present at its birth.
"McCoy! Blackstone! Over there." Kirk's voice was hushed, urgent.
"What is it, Jim?" Kirk was pointing through a gap in the undergrowth, down the hillside to a large tract of land that had been purposefully cleared from the surrounding forest.
"Those hairy Skarrans are forest dwellers. Why would they clear a patch of land that big? This has to be Caton and the Moranas doing," observed McCoy.
"That's still a good day's walk away." Blackstone said, scrunching his eyes as if better to measure the distance.
"T'Sorf, does that clearing look familiar? Are we getting closer?" The Klingon boy shook his head. "I can't see the river. We were being held near a river."
If Sylviana had been near, Kirk would have asked her to transform herself into a bird and fly to the clearing, but she had become tired holding her physical form and evaporated into the air around them. Blackstone said that he could detect her presence, faintly. She had promised to return when her energy levels were restored.
"It's got to be down there hidden among the trees." Said McCoy.
Kirk's jaw tightened. "Let's go."
"Captain Kirk, forgive me for asking, but do you have a plan?" Blackstone asked. Kirk stopped in his tracks, surprised by the question and reminded of his First Officer's quiet way of reining in his enthusiasm. He didn't need to look at McCoy to know that the medic's expression would be one of amusement.
"Is there a plan, Jim? Or are we simply going to take on the might of the Morana and whatever other forces Caton has down there to protect his interests with?" Bones asked. Kirk shrugged. Ideas and strategies were buzzing around his head, but without any knowledge of what they were up against, there could not be a coherent plan.
"When we get close enough, Blackstone and I will scout ahead, get some idea of what's going on."
"Can't Sylviana do that? She can make herself discreet."
"Maybe." Kirk answered, without enthusiasm. Sylviana was an elusive presence at best.
"Jim, maybe we should wait for back up." There. He'd said it. McCoy was aware that the potential danger the Enterprise faced upon her arrival at Skara had been gnawing away at the captain since he had worked out why Caton wanted her here. He noticed Jim fingering his communicator. Was he willing it to beep or stay silent? McCoy could not guess.
"Captain Kirk!" Stephen Blackstone's tone put Kirk on immediate alert. The young Vulcan had been surveying the countryside from a tall tree and now he was shimmying down the trunk at rapid speed.
"You see something out there?" Kirk asked, concerned.
"A group of three or four heading in this direction. Kirk nodded.
"Skarrans?"
"No. Captain, they looked like Klingons." Kirk and McCoy exchanged alarmed glances.
"They're here already, Jim. What about the Enterprise? Scotty should have been here by now too." Kirk looked skywards as though expecting to see his ship silhouetted in the Skarran sky. He was unable to conceal his anxiety from McCoy.
"The longer Scotty takes to get here the better under the circumstances." He said. "Blackstone, how far away are those Klingons?"
"About half an hour away, I'd say."
"Are you going to fight them?" T'Sorf asked, excited. Kirk did not answer. It was bad luck encountering a group of Klingons at this distance from the compound.
"It wouldn't be wise to let them know we're here." He said, looking around for a vantage point. "Those rocks over there. We can hide out there until they pass and if we do have to engage them, we'll have the advantage of higher ground."
Half an hour dragged out interminably. Kirk was beginning to doubt Blackstone's judgement of distance, when the sound of voices alerted them to the Klingons' approach. Then, suddenly they were there – two males and a female and – Kirk strained his eyes to see – what looked like a human male – a prisoner? Beside him, T'Sorf stirred and stood up. "What the devil?" McCoy's voice, alarmed.
"Father!" T'Sorf's voice rang out, echoing round the hillside, and in an instant he had left the cover of the rocks and was running down the stony slope, slipping and sliding on the loose scree, headlong into the group passing below, Blackstone at his heels. Kirk and McCoy, still behind cover, watched in astonishment as members of the group greeted one another – all except two of the Klingons – a male and female in the familiar black and gold uniform of the Klingon Empire, who stood aloof from the others, but unthreatening. With a shrug, Kirk stood up and signalling to McCoy, started down the slope to join them.
The introductions were brief. T'Sorf was the first to ask, though it had been in Kirk and McCoy's mind to say it, "Where is Mr Spock? Is he alright?" Hunter and Kort exchanged looks. Kirk and McCoy noticed and were not reassured. Hunter said,
"Your First Officer is a brave man, Captain Kirk. We all owe our lives to him."
"What's happened to my First Officer?" Kirk asked, in no mood for prevarication. Beside him, McCoy tensed. Hunter explained the situation. So it was true; Caton was working with the Morana.
As McCoy quizzed Hunter about Spock's medical condition, Kirk paced up and down. Blackstone touched his arm, "Captain, it is unlikely that your Mr Spock will be able to resist this Piklamer for long. He is physically weakened and there is the matter of the Skarran toxin, which, acts like a psychotic. Despite what I said earlier, I am surprised that he has been able to hold out this long. Even for a Vulcan, he sounds most tenacious."
Kirk almost smiled, so apt was Blackstone's choice of words. McCoy would have been less polite. Kirk had lost count of the number of times his CMO had accused the Vulcan First Officer of stubbornness.
"Like you say, Mr Spock is not one to give up easily."
"I don't like it, Jim." McCoy's voice, sounding grouchy. "Damn fool Vulcan's gonna push himself over the edge…" The more Bones insulted Spock, the more worried he was, Kirk knew. He flashed a sympathetic smile at his friend.
"Captain Kirk. There's something else you should know." Kort said, "As we were leaving the enclosure, we saw five Klingons materialising in the compound."
"Dammit, can't anyone give me some good news?" Kirk said, exasperated. Jim looked up to see McCoy's eyes boring into his. The medic pulled him aside.
"What it is Jim?"
"I can't…feel him any more." Kirk said. McCoy's look of alarm caused him a pang of guilt. "No..No..I don't think he's dead – I don't know what that would feel like but I don't believe it would be like this..this…blankness." Kirk struggled to find the words. "It's like there was a connection and now it's gone."
McCoy's eyebrows arched into his brow. For once he seemed lost for words. Then, he put a hand on Jim's shoulder, "He may be unconscious. It's alright, Jim. We'll find him." Kirk straighted up and walked back to the others. T'Sorf was relating the story of his escape and how he had found the hoverplane, leaving out any mention of his being completely lost.
"How easy would it be to walk in there and get Mr Spock out?" Kirk asked.
"Not easy now. They'll be on alert following our escape yesterday." Kort answered. His eyes strayed to Kirk's belt, "How well armed are you?"
"Well enough," Kirk answered, indicating his disruptor."
"They have a weapon, a terlak. They use it to inflict pain and Piklamer uses it to boost his telepathic powers. You would need to act swiftly before they could use this weapon to disable you. I think that only Piklamer, his second in command Nor, and perhaps one or two others are able to use the terlak. I suspect it is linked in some way to their brain patterns." Kirk nodded.
"That leaves the Klingons. They will be armed with disrupters."
"It'll take several hours to get there, then we'll have to wait until dark. The moonlight will be a hinderance, but it's worth the risk." Kirk said. He looked around the assembled group. "You didn't escape from the compound to go right back again. It's imperative that you two are not recaptured." He looked from Kravok to T'Hana. "Kort, Hunter, you go with them. Return to the Curie shuttle and wait – the Enterprise will scan that area first and pick you up. Use this if you need to." He handed T'Hana his communicator.
"He is right, you must not be retaken." Kort said, "But I will accompany you, Captain Kirk. The Vulcan deserves the best chance."
"That goes for me too." Said Hunter, his voice firm. Kirk nodded. Kort turned to his son, "T'Sorf. You will go with Kravok and T'Hana." The Klingon boy opened his mouth to protest, "But father.."
"You must obey your father. It is the Klingon way." Interjected Kravok. The boy nodded, unhappily.
When they had gone, Kirk quizzed Kort and Hunter about the compound, the Moranans. Any information was vital. By nightfall a plan was in place, but first, hours of walking lay ahead and Kirk could barely contain his unrest.
Luck was on their side when they reached the compound. Skara's moons rose, huge and low in the night sky, but instead of shining with their usual luminous white radiance, they were red and swollen and cloud-hazy against the velvet darkness. Observing them, Kirk could not help hoping that they were a good omen.
With Blackstone and Kort, Kirk scaled the perimeter fence, dropping lightly on the other side. McCoy and Hunter waited behind, ready to lift Spock to safety when they heard the signal from Kirk.
Once in the compound, Kirk relied on Kort to locate the part of the complex of barracks- like buildings where Spock was being held – if he were even in the same location. They fanned out, Kort a few paces ahead of the others, all three moving stealthily, quiet as big cats, weapons in hand.
The lack of guards seemed ominous. The whole enclosure was silent, hushed, as though deserted. The Morana were few in number, Kirk knew. They were the crew of a single ship – and from what Kort and Hunter had said about its dimensions, it was not a large vessel. Besides the Morana, there was Caton and a handful of Klingons. Kort had estimated that until the Klingons' arrival, there had been only a score or more on the whole compound. Even so, the lack of security was unsettling.
Kort had come to a stop by the side of a low rise building. Blackstone and Kirk joined him, looking all around. With Kirk and Blackstone covering him, the big Klingon aimed McCoy's disruptor at the midsection of the door, and burned right through the lock. A moment later all three were inside and moving down the corridor.
"This is the one." Kort said, in a whisper, "This is where we were being held." Kirk looked at the Klingon and nodded. He realised suddenly that he was holding his breath and let it go slowly, releasing the tension that had been mounting since they had entered the building. Now he needed to be calm, in control, all doubt dispersed. Despite his resolve, Kirk felt a rush of anxiety as Blackstone burnt through the lock with his disruptor.
The room was suffused with an eerie orange coloured light shining through the barred window, the light from Skara's multiple moons, making it difficult to discern shape from shadow. At first it seemed that the room was empty. The bunks where the prisoners had slept were dishevelled, unused.
"He's not here." Kirk said, his voice heavy with disappointment and frustration.
"Wait." Blackstone said, tilting his head, Vulcan ears hearing what the others could not. "Under the bunk" He said, pointing to a bunk pushed up against the wall at the farthest end of the room, covers hanging over the edge. He crossed the room lithely and lifted the covers, bending to look underneath. Kirk held back, unable to believe that his First Officer could be cowering under a bed like a frightened five-year-old.
"Mr Spock?" Blackstone asked, quietly. Kirk was by his side in an instant, relief and worry flooding through him. Spock was lying on his side, knees drawn up to his chest, his eyes open and staring and when Kirk spoke, he showed no sign of recognition.
"Spock! Dammit, what's wrong? What's wrong with him Blackstone, is it some kind of healing trance?"
"No Captain, I believe that he has suffered a severe mental trauma. Notice his catatonic state."
"We have to get him out of here."
With Kort and Blackstone's help, Kirk hauled Spock out and onto his feet, but the Vulcan remained unresponsive, his body going limp in their arms. Between them, Blackstone and Kort carried him outside whilst Kirk covered them. At the perimeter fence they somehow manoeuvred Spock over and into Hunter and McCoy's waiting arms. McCoy ran his mediscanner over the listless First Officer, his expression changing from outright relief at seeing Spock alive, to alarm at the shape he was in. As Bones prepared a hypo, Kirk paced, feeling helpless.
"Something's wrong." Kort said, scanning the area. "We've seen no guards, met no resistance. It's as if they don't care."
"Perhaps they don't." Said Blackstone, quietly.
"What do you mean?" Kirk dragged his gaze away from Spock's prone form to look at Blackstone. The young Vulcan hesitated,
"Mr Spock's mind has been violated – I think that he was unable to resist. Caton and Piklamer have the information they require – and they have the battlecruiser. All Caton needs now is the Enterprise."
"He's right. They may have left Skara already." Hunter said.
Kirk took in their comments but for that moment, he had a more immediate concern. Kneeling beside his CMO, he said, "Bones?" McCoy sighed,
"I'm doing what I can, Jim. He's in pretty poor shape but I don't get it; I've administered the anti-toxin; he should be responding by now." Blackstone hovered, finally he said,
"Perhaps I can help." McCoy threw him a sceptical look,
"Another mind meld? Hasn't he had enough of that?"
"I could determine his mental state, try to reach him." McCoy hesitated, unsure.
"Help him." Kirk said, decisively.
"Jim.."
"You said it yourself, he's not responding. Let him try." His tone was harsh, impatient. Jim Kirk was a man who needed fast results, more so when it was his First Officer's well being at stake.
"It could be dangerous. Blackstone's not a skilled healer. What if he can't bring Spock back? What if he damages him more?"
"That's a risk I'm prepared to take."
"You're prepared to take." McCoy was on his feet now, face levelled at Kirk's. "Ah yes, you're the Captain and I'm simply his physician, what do I know?"
"Bones, we don't have time for this. If Caton's already aboard that battlecruiser and the Enterprise is approaching Skara, I need to know what information he has at his disposal." Turning to Blackstone, he said, "Do it."
McCoy moved aside, his anger already abating. He knew what it cost Jim to put Spock at risk, and that only his responsibility to the safety of the Enterprise and its crew could compel him to do so. He didn't need his CMO making it all the harder for him to choose between his friend and his duty.
So far, Jim's luck had played out – Spock had survived time and again but McCoy wasn't sure that, if things played out badly, Jim could live with his choice. He was reminded again of Spock's desperation to conceal his state of mind from Jim after the mind-sifter – Spock understood what made Jim tick. Right now, Kirk believed absolutely in Spock's ability to survive because that's what he needed to believe in order to make the call that his duty as a Starfleet captain demanded of him.
"I'm sorry, Jim." The medic mumbled, head lowered, and was awarded with a brief, sideways smile of forgiveness from his captain. Blackstone bent over Spock, intense concentration setting his expression rigid, blank. He flexed his long fingers and placed them around Spock's face and temples, leaning in close until his own face almost touched the older Vulcan's. It was a ritual that Kirk and McCoy had witnessed Spock perform many times, yet, for non-Vulcans, it still had the power to unsettle.
Blackstone spoke in a low voice, in Vulcan. Then, suddenly, his face contorted in pain and he opened his mouth as if to scream. Spock's lifeless eyes sparked with awareness, boring into the young Vulcan's. Blackstone screamed and stumbled backwards, as if jolted by the force of a high voltage electric current.
"What happened?" McCoy, shocked.
"He broke the link." Blackstone stammered, shaken," His mind is…greatly disturbed. Please, give me a moment to make sense of the impressions I received."
It was some time before Blackstane was able to speak.
"His thoughts are chaotic. He was not able to resist Piklamer for long. Somehow, Piklamer had attuned his terlak differently, reconfigured it so that he was able to bypass Spock's defences easily. Spock opened a part of his mind that had been sealed off, a part that he himself was not completely in control of…unleashing a kind of madness…"
"Oh no," McCoy said, in a low voice. Kirk looked at him, frowing, then turned his attention back at Blackstone.
"I think he intended Piklamer to be overcome by the madness that he had unleashed, but he could not have anticipated Piklamer's mastery of the terlak, or that instrument's usefulness – it is a conduit that can link minds, but Piklamer uses it as a filter also – Spock released his darkest thoughts and Piklamer simply deflected them. Now I fear that Mr Spock has retreated into a very dark place where insanity threatens to overwhelm him."
"I..don't understand. What is this dark place in Spock's mind? Bones?" Kirk asked, bewildered. McCoy was conflicted between his loyalty to Kirk and his medical oath of patient-doctor confidentiality.
"I'm..not sure, Jim."
"It's as though his thoughts have been corrupted, sifted through and turned against him, every good thing soiled and degraded, made ugly." Blackstone remarked. Kort gave a start of recognition.
"Has Mr Spock ever been subjected to the Klingon mind-sifter?" McCoy glanced at the big Klingon in silent thanks.
"Yes. On Organia. As a Vulcan he was able to cope with its effects," answered Kirk. Kort and Blackstone glanced at McCoy. A flicker of understanding passed between them.
"Perhaps reliving the experience combined with the terlak has somehow intensified the mind-sifter's effect. And, there's Spock's injuries, his weakened state, the Skarran toxin still in his bloodstream – though I have given him the anti-toxin." McCoy said, hoping Kirk would be convinced, that he wouldn't have to break his promise to Spock.
"Suggestions?" Kirk asked.
"I could try again." Blackstone offered. "Mr Spock was aware of my presence in his mind. He was trying to relay information through the madness. I believe he broke the meld to protect me. If I can persuade him to accept my help.."
"Stephen, you're not skilled at this – Vulcans learn techniques through years of study – parts of your Vulcan training are incomplete." McCoy objected.
"You do not understand. I would be using Mr Spock's expertise – his strength and skill. My own contribution would be minimal, but perhaps enough to make the difference between this…" He paused and looked down at Spock's seemingly unconscious form, "And some level of functionality."
"That sounds like more than a mind link." Kirk said. Blackstone nodded.
"Our minds would be merged, fused together until Mr Spock is restored to his normal physical and mental capacity." It was Kirk's turn to hesitate and for reasons that made him feel slightly confused. He wanted to be the one to help Spock, but he wasn't a Vulcan and this was one step that he could not take for his friend.
As for McCoy – he knew that the mind-sifter had brought Spock to the brink of insanity once already – in his present condition, the Vulcan could not hope to overcome it a second time. Despite his reservations, his mind was already made up.
Blackstone knelt next to Spock again, this time reaching out to the meld points with more confidence. In a moment the earlier scene replayed itself with Blackstone's expression once again twisting in pain, but to those watching it seemed that he entered deeper into the meld, deflecting whatever resistance Spock was putting up. All the time, Blackstone spoke in his own language, which was also Spock's language. Kirk and McCoy caught a familiar word here and there, but mostly it was indecipherable. Then, finally, after what seemed an eternity to the onlookers, Blackstone pulled away from Spock, breaking the meld, exhausted.
McCoy knelt beside Spock and ran his scanner over him. At the sound, the Vulcan stirred and his eyes flickered open. In a hoarse, rasping voice, he said,
"Doctor, there is no need." before a bout of coughing interrupted his words. For once, McCoy did not respond with a tirade of insults and pleas for Spock to allow him to be the judge of his patient's condition. He said, only, "Easy, Spock. You're not as strong as you think you are." Spock caught McCoy's eye for the briefest moment and nodded, allowing the medic to press a hypo against his sleeve. He then looked at Blackstone, who looked back at Spock. No word of thanks was uttered but it was obvious that Spock acknowledged the young man's contribution to his recovery.
"Good to see you, Spock." Kirk said, resisting the urge to slap his First Officer on the back.
"Jim, he may be back from the brink but he's far from okay." McCoy cautioned as he helped Spock sit up. There was no point in telling Kirk to save his questions for later; Spock was as eager to speak, as Kirk was to listen.
"Captain, Admiral Caton is a traitor. He is working with a race known as the Morana and with the Klingons." Kirk nodded,
"We know. Spock, was Piklamer able to access T'Hana's formula?" Spock looked as embarrassed as was possible for a Vulcan,
"Captain, I am sorry. I was not able to obstruct him – my defences were compromised by the Skarran toxin and I made an error of judgement in thinking I could use certain of my memories to paralyse him."
"Not your fault, Spock. Can you speculate about Caton's next move?"
"He wants the Enterprise, Jim. He means to give the Klingons the hyperwarp and the Morana the Enterprise. He must be stopped. Klingon incursions into galaxies beyond our own ahead of the Federation could have disastrous consequences."
"New worlds to conquer and destroy." Commented Kort.
"Not only that, Mr Kort. Think what kind of ambassadors the Klingons would make for our galaxy – we would have a hard job convincing potential allies that we're not all like the Klingons." Kirk said.
"Not all Klingons are alike." Hunter said, quietly in his friend's defence. "Surely if we persist in treating them as such, we close our minds to the possibility of change, to cooperation between our peoples."
"Now isn't the time for a philosophical debate on the issue." Kirk answered, pragmatically. "Spock, can you walk?" The response from Spock and McCoy was simultaneous and contradictory,
"Yes, captain."
"No, captain. He's in no condition to hike across this hilly terrain."
"Captain, whilst it is undeniable that my physical condition is not optimal, I am capable of moderate exertion." Kirk nodded with an apologetic glance at his CMO, who could be heard muttering under his breath even as he helped Spock to his feet. Out of the captain's earshot, he said,
"Don't think you're fooling me for an instant, Spock, I know what it's costing you to keep the lid on your mind-sifter nightmare, and now Blackstone does too. How long can the pair of you keep it in check, that's what I want to know?"
The medic saw Blackstone catch Spock's eye. Even with his Vulcan ears, he couldn't have overheard. What had Blackstone meant exactly when he said his mind would be fused with Spock's, McCoy wondered? Much as he liked the young Vulcan he wasn't sure that he was comfortable with the idea of Blackstone being inside Spock's head.