Chapter 28

Kirk sat down at the computer to get his messages. Left-handed typing was worse than left-handed eating. But he managed the little bit that was necessary to call up the messages.

*Jim-*

*I'm sitting down. It's okay.*

The leg exploded in renewed agony. Kirk sat still, his awareness in Sickbay rather than his computer terminal. Spock made his way from surgery to the regen tank, and after he was settled in it, Kirk returned to his messages. In the back of his mind, he knew that, given the choice, he would not sever the link at all, even though it was dangerous as well as inconvenient at times. But there was no choice. They would sever the link. They must.

There were three messages. The first was from Perón. More or less as expected: grateful thanks and congratulations, followed by the inevitable request for a detailed report at his earliest convenience. Which meant as soon as humanly possible, but he wasn't about to lose his job over a few hours' delay. Speaking of his job, however, there was no mention of the Enterprise or her Captain. A bit odd, but official orders would undoubtedly be forthcoming soon.

The second message was from Sam Cogley.

"I don't usually pay much attention to rumors, but I've heard this one from three different sources, so I'm hoping it's true that you're alive and on the Enterprise. I'm not much for social calls, but something prompted me to send this and wish you well. I hope you never have need of my services again. Live long and prosper, Jim. Sam out."

*Spock, Sam doesn't do social mail, so what's this about?*

*You know him better than I do, but the obvious answer is that it is meant as a warning. He has heard dangerous rumors, and thinks you may be in dire straits - again. Possibly, there is a Vulcan connection. Does he have the technical expertise to send a hidden message within the message you see?*

*I have no idea. But if he needed to do such a thing, he would know who could, if he can't. I'll send you a copy.*

*Save it to your files first. An expertly hidden message would not come through on a copy.*

The third message was from Lt. Cdre. Sullivan.

"Captain Kirk, certain matters require your attention. I await you at Starbase 7."

*Terse and ominous.*

Kirk sat back in the chair, pondering. His internal alarm system had been awakened, and he wasn't entirely sure why. Suddenly he felt the ship surge forward in a jump from warp two to...

*Warp six,* Spock supplied.

He hit the intercom. "Kirk to Bridge."

"Young here, Captain. We've just received an urgent request from Starbase 7. Due to sensitive matters, they want us there ASAP. ETA as of now is 1550 hours."

"Who sent the message, if I may ask?"

"Base Commander Graber. Scotty's having fits, but he'll hold her together."

"Josh, I don't have a good feeling about this. Maybe we don't have time for your story, but if you could spare a few minutes, there's something in my quarters I want to show you."

Young was at Kirk's door in less than five minutes.

"Come in, Josh. Thanks for not asking for details on an open channel."

Kirk gave Young his chair and played all three messages.

"Spock thinks Sam's message may contain a hidden message. Can you check?"

Young's fingers flew over the keys for several minutes.

"Not that," he muttered, and continued to work.

"Nor that, either." Silence, except for the sound of keystrokes.

"Ah, very clever. This is the work of- better not say. The methods used identify the sender to one who knows. Let's see what he sent."

Sam's face disappeared and was replaced by text, but it was all numbers.

"Have you got a pad and stylus?" Young asked.

"Second drawer."

Young copied numbers, scribbled letters under them, crossed them out, and scribbled more letters. After the third try, he seemed satisfied. Kirk saw the word 'T E S T' emerge from all the scribbles. Young then turned back to the screen full of numbers, pulled up a blank page on the pad, and began writing what seemed to be random letters. After some ten minutes of work, he copied the message onto a fresh page.

It was a column of words, but none of them were Standard. Every third word was Klingon.

"Can you read this?" Kirk asked Young.

"I recognize that we have three different languages here, but I can only read one of them. Every third word is in a dialect of my mother's clan. Can you read any of it?"

"I read the Klingon, and Spock tells me that the third is a form of Old High Vulcan, only used by scholars of ancient writing."

"Can he read it?"

"Yes."

It was the work of moments to translate the complete message. The first word in each language was 'danger'. That was followed by two short sentences: 'Lives at risk. Trust no one.' The last line of the message seemed to be nonsense. 'RGNB' - It was not a word in any language.

"Does that mean anything to you, Josh? It looks like another code of some kind."

"It could be initials, or an acrostic, or even a set of random letters used as a password."

"You said you know who sent this. Do you consider him friend or foe?"

"Inconclusive, unfortunately. I know him professionally. In the present situation, it's difficult to be certain of anyone's loyalties, even those you thought you knew."

"Josh, I refuse to think that way. His advice to trust no one is based in fear, and I will not go there. If you trust no one, you will soon find yourself isolated and alone, easy pickings. If we stand together, we can fight off fear, and anything else the devil throws at us. To that end, let me say this. I trust you, Josh. I believe you will care for this ship and her crew in the best way you know how. I refuse to believe that you are my enemy. There may be one or more such still aboard this vessel, but you aren't among them."

"Jim, that mind-link with Spock- Do you automatically know everything he knows? He knows things about me from his melding with me. Does that mean you know them too?" Young seemed slightly anxious.

Kirk tried to reassure him. "No. We each receive the other's thoughts and sensory input, and we can talk back and forth without being anywhere near each other. But his thoughts go by too fast for me to process, and there is no way I will ever know everything he knows." He chuckled in amusement at the idea.

"Then how can you know I am not your enemy? In fact, when I was given this job, I was definitely in the enemy camp. Spock knew that, even before you left at Outpost 67. But he never treated me like an enemy; none of them did. Jim, I became a Christian four months ago. I don't know how to treat enemies as if they are friends."

"Most enemies are driven by fear. If you can overcome the fear, then you can be friends. Occasionally I meet someone who won't let me be a friend. Kadat was such a one. Though, if he had taken me when I offered, perhaps over time, even he would have been won. In each situation, ask the Holy Spirit for direction. I prefer not to risk others as well as myself. Nor do I ignore prudent precautions and behave foolishly, especially where the safety of the Enterprise and her crew are at stake."

They adjourned to Sickbay and held a conference in the room with the regen tank. Kirk unofficially took charge.

"First order of business: the mind-link. Bones, we could do it right here and now. Obviously, I don't want to. But we put the decision in your hands. If we don't do it now, I don't know how soon we'll have another opportunity. But this is hardly what I'd call an ideal situation. So it's your call: now or later?"

"Jim," McCoy looked at him intently. "How does the thought of doing it now make you feel?"

"Very shaky. Not quite hysterical, but holding it together is a real challenge."

"And how would you rate your ability to function with the mind-link in place?"

"The dual input is easier to handle when one of us is stationary, but I'm getting better at compartmentalizing. The constant background of Spock's thoughts isn't a problem; I'm used to that."

"Spock, same questions."

"My ability to function is not impaired by the mind-link."

"And how do you feel about severing it now?"

A shudder ran through Spock's body.

"I cannot afford to think about the answer to that question."

McCoy turned to Young. "Josh, I don't know how much you know about this, but major trauma for a Vulcan is no joke. I vote we put this off until we have more time. They're functioning. Another day, or even two or three, is not going to kill them. Trying to rush this might. It's that serious."

Kirk and Spock both breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Bones. But what I said earlier still holds. When you decide it's time, don't put up with any arguments. And whoever you need to involve in order to enforce that decision, you don't have to ask. Just do it. Okay?"

"I'll do it, Jim. You can count on it."

"Next order of business: how soon is Spock's leg going to be done?"

"At least another hour, maybe two."

"We've got a prisoner in the Brig that's refusing to talk. Maybe the presence of a Vulcan would change his mind."

"I can't rush this, Jim. A partially healed break weakens the whole bone."

"Okay. We'll table that for now. The situation at Starbase 7 is uncertain. There may be a real crisis for which haste is justified. Just as likely, the request for speed is politically based. And we have no way of knowing if it comes from friends or enemies.

"Both Torbet and Konti separately told me that someone within the Federation arranged for my capture by the Klingons in order to be given to the Romulans in cementing an alliance. Having failed, it is not unreasonable to suppose they will try alternate methods of eliminating me. I don't want the Enterprise in the middle of it, if we can avoid it."

"Jim," Young interrupted. "I knew nothing of this. You must believe me."

"Relax, Josh. Of course you didn't know. Most of the people involved in this have only been following orders through legitimate chain of command. They're not enemies."

"I don't think that's true, Jim," McCoy objected. "The saboteur we've got in the Brig was not operating through the chain of command."

"We don't know for sure that he has anything to do with the rest of this mess."

"Entirely probable that he does, given his activity," put in Spock.

"Jim," Young explained, "The arm of Starfleet that I work for is dedicated to various covert operations. Agents typically operate independently, even if more than one is assigned to a particular field. It would not surprise me to find that the Enterprise has been infiltrated by more than one such agent."

"Sounds like we need a senior officers' briefing, but something else just occurs to me. Perón's communication may also contain a hidden message."

Kirk and Young adjourned to Kirk's quarters to examine the message and found that it did, and it was not in code. The bald text read: 'Vultures gather at Seven; you are bait.'

"That settles it. I'm going in alone. I'll take a shuttlecraft. Josh, I want you to keep the Enterprise out of transporter range. We can get Scotty to come up with some believable excuse."

"Jim, if that message means what I think it means, going in at all is asking for trouble. Going alone is suicide!" Young exclaimed.

"To be effective, the bait has to look inviting."

"Jim, vultures eat dead meat."

"But they gather if it looks like there's going to be a meal. Josh, we need to catch them at it. Torbet gave me a couple of names, and Spock's been doing some digging, trying to get recorded evidence on them, but they've been very careful, it seems."

"Catching them in the act doesn't sound like a recipe for survival. Besides, how do you know the real enemies will come out of hiding before you're dead?"

"I don't, but Josh, your job is to keep the Enterprise safe. You can't be worrying about me."

Young sighed. "Jim, you are part of the Enterprise, but I will do what you want."

"Thanks, Josh. We better get to that briefing."

xxxx

An hour and a half later, all was in place, the stage set. Kirk and Young were seated at a table in the corner of the Rec Deck, apparently relaxing in casual conversation. Spock had been released from Sickbay and was at the Brig, about to interrogate the prisoner. Uhura was with him, with a recording device. Sulu and Chekov were on the Bridge. Chuck was with Scotty in Engineering. McCoy was in Sickbay.

Suddenly they lost all power. Kirk sat motionless and listened. No sounds of panic, though the Rec Deck was quite crowded at this hour. Within moments, gravity was restored, then air circulation, and finally emergency lighting came on. Young stood and stepped to the intercom.

"Young to Bridge. Report, please."

"Sulu here, sir. One moment, I'm getting the report from Engineering now." Pause. "It seems we have another saboteur, sir."

"I'm getting to the bottom of this right now. Patch me through to the all-call."

"You're on, sir."

"All hands, this is the Captain. We have evidence indicating one or more saboteurs are still at large. If you see any suspicious behavior, regardless of rank, you are authorized to apprehend and hold, using whatever means necessary. All personnel are to report to the hangar deck at once. I repeat, all personnel to the hangar deck immediately. No exceptions. Absolutely, no exceptions. Captain out."

The Rec Deck began a quiet, orderly exit en masse. Kirk spoke in a low voice.

"Spock could use a verbal assist."

Young punched another button on the intercom.

"Young to Security."

"Wright here, sir. Mr. Spock is-"

Young cut him off. "Bring an ample supply of weapons. Bring the prisoner along too, well-secured. And allow Mr. Spock to lock down the arsenal to his voice print only."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

xxxx

It took about twenty minutes to gather everyone, take attendance and round up the stragglers. Since they had not used the Red Alert siren, a few slept through the message. Young took a bull-horn and addressed the crowd.

"Since our prior efforts have apparently not been completely successful in rooting out the infiltrators in our midst, we are forced to take more drastic measures. All personnel will submit to a strip-down body search, and a mental probe by Mr. Spock. Starting with senior officers and essential posts. Mr. Sulu, you're first."

Sulu stepped up to Spock and Kirk heard their mental conversation.

*Probe to your heart's content, Spock.* Sulu was laughing.

*I do not need to, Mr. Sulu. Your mind is clean.*

*I don't envy you, Spock. It's going to be a long night.*

Uhura was next. She and Sulu would man the Bridge. Chekov would hold down Life Support. Scotty was next.

*Were there problems in Engineering, Mr. Scott?*

*A few of them suspect. No one saw us do it. They'll keep quiet. It's not the first time we've pulled something like this. Not to worry, Spock.*

After Scotty and two assistants had returned to Engineering, Young declared that he himself was next. Chuck followed him, and then it was Kirk's turn.

*I'll be fine, Spock. Just don't do so much of this that you get exhausted.*

*It will become increasingly difficult with those who are not used to it.*

*Do what you have to, Spock. I'll weather it.*

McCoy had set up a curtained off area for the body searches. Four Security guards were in attendance. Kirk stripped his clothes off in seconds, laying them on the table for inspection. Stepping in front of McCoy's scanner, he lifted his arms wide and grinned, but said nothing.

They had agreed this charade with the senior officers was important to establish to the crew that no one was exempt. Even Spock would submit to the body search. McCoy, Chapel, and the Security guards were next. As soon as he did the first guard, Kirk realized what Spock had meant. There was a fear and defensiveness that Spock had to push past. This response did not indicate guilt, but merely unease with the probing process.

Kirk quickly got tired of hearing Spock say, "Please relax. The probe is not painful. This will be easier if you do not fight me." Most of them didn't know how not to fight it. Partway through the 80 Security guards, Young was called to the Bridge. Uhura needed help fending off irate bureaucrats at Starbase 7. Young's diplomatic skills would be stretched to the limit before this was over, Kirk guessed. They were going to stall at least four hours, possibly a whole day.

When 60 of the guards had passed both tests, they suddenly encountered a problem case.

"I'm not doing that mind-thing," this guard protested. "I'll do the body search, but you can't make me do the other. I know my rights. It's against regulations."

The whole room tensed as they waited to see what Kirk would do about this. But Kirk didn't do anything. Chuck quietly guided the man to McCoy's booth. When he came out of there clean, Chuck quietly asked him again to submit to the mental probe.

"No, you don't have to do this. And it will not appear on your record as a refusal to obey orders. But, as a practical matter, you understand there will be consequences if you do not submit to the probe."

"I ain't no traitor."

"I didn't mean to imply that you were. But the safety of this vessel and her crew are at stake. We cannot take chances."

"I ain't doin' it; you can't make me."

"Very well." Chuck turned to another guard standing by. "Lieutenant, handcuff this man and hold him with the other prisoner. Gag him if necessary."

The last Security guard was a big man, with a kid's face. Kirk took one look and saw fear in that face. Even as he stepped up to help, he heard a whispered, "I can't."

Kirk put his hand on the guy's shoulder, turning him away from Spock.

"Look at me, Ensign. May I pray for you?"

He nodded wordlessly. Kirk prayed for the peace of the Lord to fill the young man's soul. As he prayed, the man continued to stare into Kirk's eyes.

"All right, Spock. Go ahead."

The man hardly blinked, and it was one of the easiest of the 80 so far.

"Thank you, Ensign. You're clean. Join the line over there please," Kirk directed.

"Is that all? I hardly felt a thing!"

"Yes. It's easy when you're not fighting it."

Kirk smiled, and was rewarded with an answering grin. Spock went on to the Engineering crew. Chuck began organizing the Security department to make a fine-tooth-comb search of the entire ship. It would take hours, and it was tedious, but it was necessary.

They'd been at it for two hours when Young asked Kirk to come to the Bridge.

"I've stalled about as long as I can, Jim. Graber is polite on the outside and livid underneath. Sullivan is harder to read. He's upset, but I'm less sure why. Graber has offered to send a tug to pull us in; Sullivan wants to send a shuttle to get you. Neither has made any reference to a crisis on the base. So it looks like you were right about that smokescreen."

"Any sign of unusual activity coming or going?"

Sulu answered. "The usual collection of smaller vessels. Nothing as big as we are, at least not yet."

"What about communications?"

Uhura reported, "In addition to the usual chatter, there's been quite a number of high-security scrambled messages back and forth."

"Jim, are you sure you want to keep up this charade on the hangar deck? I'd rather have a fully-powered vessel to defend ourselves with."

"I know, Josh, but the usual methods of defense won't work with this kind of enemy, unless you're willing to kill friends and foes alike, which I'm not. Spock's already found two among the Security Officers, and that's not counting the one who refused. By the time we're done, we'll know who they are, and they won't know that we know. Then we'll watch them give themselves away in their confidence of our ignorance."

"Excuse me, Captain," Uhura interrupted. "Commander Graber is calling again."

"Tell him we don't need the tow. Power should be restored shortly. And see if you can needle him enough to find out what the rush is," Kirk advised Young.

"Put him on, Uhura." Young sat back in the center seat.

Kirk stepped out of range.

"Good evening, Commander."

"Well, Captain, I gave you the requested twenty minutes. Are you ready to accept assistance now?"

"We appreciate the offer of a tow, Commander, but it will not be necessary. We expect power to be restored shortly. Such a prompt offer of assistance indicates an efficiently run base. You are to be commended, sir. I trust whatever it was that required our prompt attendance has resolved itself. So, other than the crew's desire for shore leave, there really is no reason we cannot arrive tomorrow, rather than this evening. Is that correct, sir?"

"But Captain- no, that is not correct. I was informed you would arrive this afternoon. I have taken considerable trouble to rearrange the dry-dock schedule to allow prompt repairs to your vessel. If you do not arrive until tomorrow, I cannot guarantee available space. Several vessels are already being made to wait. I'm sure you understand my position, Captain."

"Of course, Commander. We'll take our chances with the dry-dock schedule. Expect us when you see us. Young out."

Kirk's analysis was brief. "Somebody's pressuring him to get us there without telling us why."

"Agreed. I expect Sullivan is part of why, but maybe not the whole story. They want you, but they also want the Enterprise."

"They can't have her." He paused. "Spock just found another one. He'll be done with Engineering in another hour. Have Scotty start powering up the warp engines. And be ready to give you impulse at the first sign of any approach. Evade capture even if you have to warp out of the system."

Young talked to Scotty, then got an update from Chuck on the search crews. They had begun on the Engineering decks, and had an estimated two more hours to finish the secondary hull area. They had found some odd electronic gear in one crewman's quarters.

"Which one?"

"Parker."

"He's clean. Show the stuff to Scotty. If he clears it, put it back in Parker's cabin and say nothing. But it's possible somebody else stowed it there."

Uhura announced another incoming call, this one from Sullivan.

"Captain Young, I understand you have refused the offer of a tow. It is absolutely essential that I speak with Captain Kirk. Did you convey my offer of transportation?"

"Sir, I must insist on an explanation of the need for haste. Captain Kirk was quite fatigued on his most recently completed mission. Why cannot your conference with him wait until tomorrow?"

"Young, cut the nonsense. Kirk hasn't complained of fatigue in thirty years of missions. In fact, he's probably standing on that Bridge right now. So, get out of the way, and let me talk to Kirk."

Kirk stepped up beside Young. "I'm here, Sullivan, so talk. What can't wait til tomorrow?"

Sullivan took a deep breath and leaned forward. "Kirk, I can't discuss this on an open channel. I'm asking you to believe me. This is urgent."

"Urgent for whom?"

"Look, if you won't come to me, can I come to you?"

"The hangar deck is unavailable at the moment."

"Is your transporter working?"

"Sullivan, we're dead in the water. What do you think?"

"I'll bring an e-suit then."

"You are desperate. All right, you can come. Call when you're fifteen minutes out. We'll have updated instructions. Kirk out."

"Sulu, how long will it take him to get here?"

"Depends how soon he leaves, but I'd guess over an hour, unless he's got a super-fast shuttle. And he might."

"All right, as soon as you see him leave, nudge us just enough to get out of sensor range. Make it look accidental if you can."

"Aye, sir."

Kirk turned to Young. "When he calls, have him pull alongside, and come to full stop. Put a tractor beam on him and transport me over there. As soon as I'm gone, engage evasive maneuvers. I don't expect him to try to track you, but if he does, lose him. Stay as close to the base as you can without being found. Maintain radio silence until Spock tells you otherwise. I mean it, Josh. No matter what you see warping in, stay out of it. They're much less likely to kill me if they don't have the Enterprise."

Kirk went back to the hangar deck, and cornered Chuck for a private conference.

"Several things, Chuck. First off, I'll be leaving within the hour. I need somebody who can run the tractor beam and the transporter. I'd rather not pull Scotty out of Engineering right now." He paused. "Spock recommends Roygan. Push him through next, if you would. Second, remember that you are First Officer here. Spock has no more official position than I do. You can defer to him privately, but not in front of the crew. Third, as soon as I leave, Spock's attention is going to be divided. He may slow down, he may need to take a break, or he may have an urgent message for Captain Young. Just be alert and ready to adjust."

Kirk gave Chuck the names of the infiltrators Spock had found so far.

"This'd be easier if I could just lock them up," Chuck complained.

"We need evidence. The mind probe can't be used in court. Just watch them, Chuck. There should be plenty of tense waiting in the next few hours or days. One or more will try to get a message out. When they do, nail them. You can do it, Chuck, I'm confident in you."

Young called to say Sullivan was there. Kirk, Roygan, and two security guards left for the transporter room. Chuck was insisting no one could go anywhere except in groups of three. Kirk said no goodbyes. With a smile, and the simple word, "Energize," he was gone.