Chapter 24

Kirk's communicator went off. "Spock to Kirk."

"Kirk here."

"The delegation has finished its conference. Fourteen wishes to speak with you."

"Does he want me to come to his room, or connect here in Third's room?"

"He would like you to come to his room."

"Tell him I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Very good, sir. Spock out."

Kirk disconnected after a few reassuring words to First and Third. He escaped up to First's room before McCoy got a chance to get started bawling him out for taking more risks. He stopped in to see Spock on his way to Fourteen's room. Spock reported that he had control of his voice and hands, and expected to have full control shortly. Also, that Sixty-five was curious about the process, and he was letting him observe. Kirk asked him to find out if Sixty-five still had freedom from the fear. Then, he went to Fourteen's room.

*Greetings, Captain. Thank you for coming.*

*Not a problem. How did your meeting go?*

*We have reached unanimous agreement concerning our course of action.*

*I understand that unity is hard to achieve sometimes, with difficult choices to make.*

*We have decided to pardon both First and Third. However, we cannot restore First to his position of leadership. That action will be up to the Ruling Ring, when we return home. This decision was not difficult. After all you have done, we could not despise your example of love, forgiveness, and trust.*

*However, there is more, and this part was difficult. Sixty-five shared his entire experience with us. We have decided to request that you do for each of us what you did for Sixty-five. We wish to be sure you understand this is a request, not a demand. We will understand perfectly if you do not wish to endure such an ordeal again. But we want so badly what Sixty-five has that we are willing to offer any price within our power to give.*

*What is it that Sixty-five has, that you think I can give you?*

*He has complete freedom from the fear of being alone. He disconnected from us several times, just to prove it hadn't evaporated. His soul is full of joy, and being disconnected only seemed to increase his joy, rather than mar it with fear.*

*Do you understand that freedom from fear doesn't come from me, but from the Lord? And do you realize what Sixty-five had to do to come to that place of freedom?*

*I think I do. That is why the decision was difficult. There are several among us, myself included, who avoid such risk-taking, and do not understand you who seem to enjoy it. The deciding factor was the response of Twenty-nine. He tasted that freedom when you prayed for him, and he so much wants it, that he made me promise to let him be first. He's afraid you might decide you'd had enough before you got to him.*

*There's something you should know. While you were having your meeting, I assisted First in finding this same freedom. When he had found it, his immediate concern was that all of you could find this same freedom. We prayed for the opportunity to help you. God has answered that prayer. I would be happy to help each of you, and there is no charge for the service. However, I do have a question: Is there any reason it has to be me? There are several others who could help as well.*

*I do not think the trust level is high enough for anyone else.*

*I understand. Then there are some logistic problems to work out, since it will take some time to help six of you. It seems good to inform First and Third as soon as possible of their status. Also, it would be most efficient for us if the cultural and technological exchange could take place simultaneously with my meetings with each of you. My crew are well able to handle that sort of thing without me. Lastly, I promised several of your people a chance to meet with Spock and myself to explain our actions in more detail. Which reminds me of another concern that came to my attention this morning. It seems that your people are so enamoured of my relationship with Spock, that they do not wish to discuss anything else. If we are to have a successful exchange of information, my people must be able to get answers to their questions, without being required to give a Kirk/Spock story in exchange. Would your people be willing to limit their questions on this subject to the meeting with Spock and myself, and not pester my crew about it?*

*Yes, we will do as you ask.*

*You don't need to vote on it?*

*No, I have blanket authority to grant anything you request.*

*Then let me suggest the following schedule. Let's tell First and Third right away. Then, we can have the session with Spock and myself. After that, my people need a rest break. Tomorrow morning, we could begin a three-day exchange of information. I would leave the organizing of that to Spock and Sixty-five. Meanwhile, I can meet with two of you each day, which should give us plenty of time. And I have no objections to doing Twenty-nine first. Which of your people were the most reluctant?*

*Myself, Eighty-three, and Forty-six.*

*I would like to spread those out evenly over the three days, so as not to have two reluctant ones on the same day. Other than that, I'll leave the order up to you. Is there anything else we need to discuss right now?*

*Yes. We would like your people to celebrate with us, as we rejoin with First and Third. Since this has never been done before, we do not know exactly how to go about it. Do you have any suggestions?*

*Are you looking for some kind of ceremony, or do you not see how to include us?*

*Both, really. This is uncharted territory for us.*

*Well, I have an idea, but I don't know if you can pull it off. You used the transporter to move us from room to room. Can you move yourselves using the same method?*

*Not within the vessel. This transporter wasn't designed for beings of our size. That was the reason for installing the elevator.*

*Could you disconnect from each other long enough to move to the doorways of First's room? Then, you could reconnect through his room, rather than through your hallways. If you could do this, we could bring First and Third up from Third's room. When they saw you, they would know what you had to do to get there. It would be a message that speaks louder than words. They would appreciate that you had done that for them. Then, you could all connect together and have a noisy party.*

*How would you and your crew be included?*

*We would stand around the wall and watch.*

*That somehow seems unsatisfactory. We wish you to have a more prominent role in this reunion.*

*What do you want us to do?*

*Well, it's because of you that we are having this reunion. We wish some symbolic way of illustrating your role.*

*We could re-enact the vision. (Fourteen gasped.) No, I don't mean the part where Spock attacked me, but the part where we each join with one of you. While we are connected to you, we could each pick up one of First's arms and one of Third's arms and join them to you. How does that sound?*

*Much better than just watching. We will do as you suggest. Sixty-five can get himself to First's room without difficulty. I do not know if the rest of us can.*

*Spock and I will help. Scotty has to man the elevator, and the rest of my people are down in Third's room. I will get Spock, while you tell your people what we are going to do.*

Kirk went back to Sixty-five's room looking for Spock. He found him on his feet, apparently in complete control. Kirk asked no questions, but summarized the situation briefly. Then, he told Spock about the promised explanation session.

"Spock, you don't have to do this. This is completely voluntary and unofficial. I want you to know that I personally do not need any explanations. I promised them without asking you first, and you have every right to decline."

"Captain, it is not a problem. I have nothing to hide, and I do not object to answering any and all questions. How can I assist you in relocating the delegation?"

"Sixty-five can get there by himself. Let's have him move first. Then, we can go around the circle clock-wise, finishing with Fourteen. They should be able to move, if they're connected to the two of us. If not, we're stuck hauling them out of the well. The only real problem I see is Fourteen, who'll be stuck by himself while we do Forty-six, since Sixty-five will have already moved. We'll ask Sixty-five to come back and stay with Fourteen while we do Forty-six. That should work."

And it did. Eighty-three was the only one they had to haul out of the well, and that didn't take long, since they didn't let him get very deep, before they went after him. Kirk went below to inform the others what they were about to do; Spock told Scotty. They sent Third up the elevator, followed by First. Kirk and the crew were last up. They immediately went to their places, donned the helmets, and joined First and Third with their people, beginning with Kirk and ending with Spock. When the circle was complete, the room was littered with tentacles going in all directions, but nobody was trying to walk around, so it didn't matter. A few minutes later, Sixty-five informed Kirk that Fourteen wished him to make a speech.

*How will all of you hear it?*

*We wish you to ask First to remove the barriers.*

*Why can't you ask him?*

*We are afraid he will say 'no'. But for you, he might not refuse.*

*Okay, I'll ask him.*

Kirk waved his arms at First, who got the message and connected.

*The delegation want me to ask you to remove the barriers, so we can all talk together. They are afraid you'll refuse. They want some speeches for this occasion, and it would be easier to say things once, rather than ten times. Assuming we can get them to be quiet, that is.*

*If your people will agree to be middle men, as they were when we were trying to rescue Third, I can do as you ask. Provided Spock can make do with one connection, since I need one for Third.*

*I see no problem with that. Sixty-five, can you pass the word around, so everyone knows what's going on?*

First hooked them up as before, and suddenly Kirk could hear everyone at once. First called for order.

*I will leave us connected without barriers, as long as it is orderly. If it gets so noisy that we cannot communicate, I will disconnect you all. Since we are not used to this type of meeting, I will ask Captain Kirk to moderate.*

*Thank you. I have been asked by Fourteen to give a speech for this occasion. I am not very good at speeches, so I'll keep this short. When we first received word that you were seeking us, I was intrigued. When you first brought us aboard this vessel, I was frustrated that you would not talk to me. Now that we have gotten to know each other, I am grateful that the Lord brought us together. I am very glad you have chosen life for First and Third. I am proud to consider you my friends. I trust the Lord will continue to work in each of us.* He paused. *Now, is there anyone else who would like to give a speech?*

There were several more short speeches. In fact, almost everyone shared, even Spock.

*I do not have much to say. It is gratifying to find a species that values life as we do. I am pleased to have the opportunity to exchange information, and look forward to the next several days. Thank you.*

Fourteen was last.

*I also am not skilled in making speeches. However, I must make clear to all of you how much we owe to Captain Kirk, and to his crew. Were it not for their many sacrifices in these last several days, we would not be having this meeting. First would be dying. Third would very likely be already dead. We would be returning to our people with mourning and bitterness. Instead, we are celebrating life for First and Third, and we will return home with joy and peace. Most of all, they have introduced us to the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom we shall find freedom from our fears. In spite of being severely mistreated, they consider us their friends. They have refused payment for their services, but only ask that we freely answer their questions about our culture and technology. I charge each one of us to withhold nothing, to grant every request, to answer every question. After all they have done, it is the least we can do. Thank you.*

*You are welcome. We are glad to be of service, and count it a privilege to know you. If there are no further speeches, perhaps this would be a good time to fulfill my promise to answer your questions about Spock and myself. So, who has the first question?*

*My question is for Spock.* It was Forty-six speaking. *What was the purpose of your attack on Captain Kirk? What did you think would occur as a result?*

*There were three possible outcomes. It was possible that the Captain would in fact conquer the hate. If so, First would see that it could be done and would release us. Secondly, it was possible that First would observe the strength of Jim's struggle and decide it was worth fighting for, and thus release us. And last, it was possible that he would in fact kill me, and First would see the devastation of the path he had chosen and turn from it, and he would release the Enterprise.*

*Would you have let me kill you, if it came to that?* Kirk asked.

*Yes, I would have. It had not been my original intent, but I was so steeped in self-hate that I would have welcomed your killing me.*

*That's part of what kept me under control. I was afraid you wouldn't stop me.*

The next question was from Seventy-two. *How much of what we saw on the cameras was an act?*

*As the Captain surmised, I knew as soon as I saw the vision, what it meant and what I must do. The episode with Edith was First's idea of how to make it happen. I didn't think it would work, but it was necessary to allow him to attempt it. I needed that time to plan, and it was imperative that First not know how much I knew.*

*As I told the Captain, I planned and executed the attack on him solely on my own initiative. I could not discuss it with him for two reasons. I could not let First know my plan, and it was essential for the plan's success that the Captain be completely ignorant. In fact, I purposely misled him. No, that is not strong enough: Jim, I lied to you, on several occasions.*

*I know, but maybe you'd like to enumerate those lies, just to set the record straight.*

*The first occasion was the things I said before my encounter with First. Among the many vicious false statements, I said that I did not trust you. In fact, I did trust you. I don't know that I could have done what I did to anyone I did not trust as much as I trust you. The second occasion was telling you that I did not know how I had betrayed you. That was because First did not know that I knew. The third occasion was telling you that it was not an act. At that time, I was still very much acting, more for First's benefit than yours, but I could not tell you that. And then I gave you the impression that I was worried he might force me to commit murder. Again, this lie was for his benefit, not yours. The last occasion was when I told you that I could not undo what I had done to you. I believed at the time that I could, and had every intention of doing so, but it was essential that you believe I could not. In fact, I do not know that I could have, but I would have tried. Assuming you had not killed me, and that you would let me try.*

Eighty-three was next. *Why did you do yourself what First could not accomplish?*

*Several factors went into my decision. The people of Third's clan would die if I did not attack Jim in the way the vision showed. Secondly, First needed someone to show him the way out of his dilemma. I believed Jim's behavior in the face of the betrayal of his best friend would be the example First needed. The third factor was the time element. We needed a decisive action that would force First to conclude his experimental observation of our behavior. If we had allowed it to continue, Starfleet would have sent out a major force to investigate. Casualties in the ensuing confrontation would likely have been numerous. I learned from my contact with First, that in the event you were destroyed, the retaliation from your people could have devastated our galaxy. The potential loss of life in both our galaxy and yours was worth sacrificing my life, Jim's life, and our friendship.*

*So the reason you pushed was the time element?* Kirk asked.

*That is correct. I calculated that you would last for days before reaching the breaking point. We did not have days, but hours. So, I was purposely making your life as intolerable as possible, repeatedly forcing you to face the reality of my betrayal, hoping to break you before we ran out of time.*

*You hoped to break me?*

*Yes. I did not believe anything short of violence would convince First to stop, and I did not believe you would actually kill me.*

*You have more faith in me than I did!*

*May I ask you a question?*

*Of course.*

*During our session in the gym, did you at any time believe I might kill you?*

*No, I didn't. But that's different.*

*Is it?*

*Are you telling me that what you experienced in the gym was the same thing I was feeling when you kept pushing? And I pushed you over the edge. Spock, I'm sorry.*

*You had every right to require it after what I had done to you.*

*But to force you to do that which I was unwilling to do was inexcusable.*

*Jim, I do not consider that you did anything needing forgiveness, and I am not sorry you did it. I was merely pointing out the similarity of the situations, so you would understand why I did not believe you would kill me.*

Fifty-one had a question for Kirk. *Captain, can you explain why you trusted Spock before, during, and after his attack on you?*

*I knew Spock had a plan when he told me he couldn't talk about it. His comment about theme and variation was by way of an apology in advance for what he was about to do. So, the series of vicious insults didn't bother me at all. I knew he didn't mean any of it. I was shocked and amazed at his performance, because I didn't know he could do that. But I knew it was a performance, and I understood what he was trying to do. And it worked. First gave us an opportunity to find out what was going on.

*When he came back from his encounter with First, I was looking for clues. It was readily apparent that we still couldn't talk freely, and the information he was able to give me directly was insufficient. I was pretty sure he was still acting, especially after he told me he wasn't. But it wasn't all an act - the anguish in his eyes was real. I know now it was anguish over what was to come, rather than what had already occurred.

*He warned me about Edith, not in so many words, mind you, but we don't generally need many words. I knew the information about Edith had come from Spock - there was no other way First could have gotten it. Either he took it by force, or Spock gave it to him. He wanted me to believe Spock had freely given it, and I did, but not because of the picture. That could have been fabricated. If he had gotten the information by force, there would have been no reason for Spock to continue acting. And McCoy agreed with me, that Spock was not being controlled by an outside force. So, he had done it on purpose. He was telling me, we were still doing the experimental observation routine, and the theme was betrayal. As long as we could keep the focus on Spock and myself, the rest of the crew were reasonably safe.

*Later, when McCoy got us talking, I encouraged Spock to share. He proceeded to give an extremely accurate account of what I had been feeling and thinking. Normally, he would not have done that, even with my permission. So, he was telling me that one of the rules of this game was complete transparency. That is why I was careful to share in detail what I was thinking and feeling at several points.

*And then, there was the attack. I knew only that this was something Spock wanted me to do, and that it was going to be awful. I really didn't know what Spock was going to do, and I understood why he couldn't tell me. On some level, I knew that all the rest had been play-acting, and this was the real thing. I still had no idea what was behind all this, but I knew that Spock did. And Spock never does anything without a reason. So, if Spock wanted me to do this, then it was absolutely necessary, and the amount of agony involved was irrelevant. Also, that bit about letting us out of here, that was a euphemism for 'we're running out of time.' Getting out of here was irrelevant. Contacting Starfleet with some answers was critical, as has been discussed.

*What you really want to know, however, is why I continued to trust Spock even after he attacked me. I know I said I didn't trust him, but that was a lie. And eventually, you all knew it, because actions speak louder than words. I trust Spock, because I know him. Betrayal, disloyalty, and deceit are not in his nature. The only thing that would drive Spock to do what he did was the potential loss of countless lives. So, while I knew none of the details, I knew enough to agree to endure what he did to me. If I had said 'no', he would not have done it, but he knew I would not refuse. I trusted him then, as always, because I understood what he was doing, and why he was doing it.*

*Why were you so angry then?*

*My trust of him was on a deeper level than the anger.*

*Then, the attack itself was a failure?*

*No. Its purpose was to get First to release us, and it did accomplish that purpose. We were prepared for it to destroy our friendship and our lives. That it did not do so, I attribute to the gracious intervention of God.*

The last question was from Sixty-five. *I have a trivial question for Spock, just to complete the picture: Would you have woken the Captain in four hours?*

*No. I would not have permitted him to sleep at all. We did not have time. I observed that he was talking with the good doctor, and heard his weeping. I was contemplating how to bring this to a successful conclusion, when he came to me. I assumed he was ready for Torture Round Three. Instead, I discovered he had changed the rules, a favorite tactic of his. Fortunately, this provided the impetus for First to release us, and thus avert the tragic loss of lives.*