NOTE from the PHOENIX: For some reason FFnet is not letting me reply to my reviews right now. Please know that I read and LOVE every one of them. I will reply as soon as FFnet fixes the glitch. THanks!!
Chapter Thirty-six
"I don't like this," Kirk fretted "it's taking to long."
"I agree." Bones sighed.
"How's Spock?"
"Not good."
"Is that your professional medical opinion?"
"Pretty much." McCoy replied.
Kirk came over and sat down on the edge of the couch that Spock was sleeping on. Beyond the ragged breathing he was jerking violently. The wound that Cel'esta had reopened refused to close again and was weeping a watery blood and lymph mixture. Kirk put his hand against Spock's forehead to see if he was fevering. Spock opened his eyes with a sharp gasp.
"I'm sorry, Spock, I didn't mean to startle you."
"Captain...I can hear whispers."
"That's not good." Bones pointed out needlessly.
"I fear I will soon become dangerous, Captain."
"You are in no condition to hurt anyone, Spock."
"Rage will make me stronger." Spock insisted.
"Well, there isn't much we can do about it." Kirk shrugged. "Despite now being 'honored guests' we are locked in here."
"Open the wound in my side into my lungs..."
"What?!" Bones exclaimed. "Are you insane?"
"Doctor, I do not wish my last act to be murdering my friends. You must kill me before I have the chance to kill you."
"No one is killing anyone." Kirk said firmly.
"Captain..."
"End of discussion, Spock."
Spock flashed Kirk a desperate heartbroken look that he'd never seen on the Vulcan's features before. The expression didn't last long as Spock's attention was suddenly captured by something that only he could hear. Kirk looked to Bones for guidance, but the doctor just shook his head sadly.
Kirk and McCoy both jolted slightly as there was a sharp knock at the door. Without waiting for a response the door opened and two guards stepped inside. They two Romulans stood on either side of the door and stared forward blankly. The Romulan Empress entered and looked around. Spock instantly sat up. Kirk reached out to steady him, but Spock withdrew from his touch.
"Empress," Kirk greeted as he got to his feet and offered her a shallow bow "it is a pleasure to met you. On behalf of the Federation, and myself personally, thank you for assistance."
"I am having second thoughts about our agreement." Cel'esta announced harshly.
"Typical Romulan." McCoy muttered.
"Bones." Kirk admonished. "Forgive the Doctor's rudeness your Highness. May I ask why you are having second thoughts?"
"The Vulcan has made a promise he clearly can not keep."
"The 'Vulcan' has a name." Bones growled.
"Doctor, keep quiet that's an order." Kirk snapped.
"Empress," Spock spoke up "I have made no promises that I do not intend to keep."
"You are dying, Spock." Cel'esta said coldly. "You did well to hide the extent of your illness, but your weakness is clear now. You say you will be Romulus' voice in the Vulcan Council in over one hundred years, you are not going to live through the night let alone the next century!"
"The plan we have to stop the Vulcan black hole will also save Spock's life." Kirk argued.
"Spock, is this true?"
"It is uncertain." Spock replied truthfully.
Kirk closed his eyes in frustration of his First Officer's inability to stretch even the simplest truth. The Empress saw his visible agitation and smiled. She stepped up to Kirk and ran her fingertips along the line of his collar bone.
"It irritates you that your Vulcan friend can not lie."
"There are times when it has its disadvantages." Kirk admitted.
"Perhaps if humans were more truthful us Romulans would be more inclined to deal with your kind."
"Alright, you want the truth, here it is: we need your help desperately. Not only for the humans, but all other living things in this galaxy as well. There is a chance that once the Vulcan sun is stopped that the illness affecting Spock and all other Vulcans will be cured."
"Spock," Cel'esta called over Kirk's shoulder "what is the probability of your survival?"
"I do not have enough information to calculate that statistic."
"How long do you believe you have to live?"
"In my current condition...less than a week."
"Thank you for your honesty."
"Empress, please," Kirk said "the Federation will not allow Romulus to be destroyed."
"The Federation does not have that power. It will take Vulcan science, Spock assured me of this and I believe it. Without a Vulcan on our side the Council will not assist us."
"You will have that voice, even if Spock dies."
"Captain, no..."
Spock jumped to his feet and immediately passed out. Bones was just fast enough to catch him as he collapsed. Kirk turned and helped Bones ease Spock to the floor. McCoy spent a moment fussing over Spock before announcing that he was still breathing and that it had most likely been a drop in blood pressure that had brought him down.
"Captain Kirk, I believe you were telling me something about having a Vulcan voice in the future?" Cel'esta said conversationally.
"I was." Kirk admitted as he faced her once again. "Spock's wife is expecting a child. I am to raise him if Spock is gone."
"Are you suggesting that the child take on the burden of the father's promises?"
"Yes."
The Empress thought about this for a moment before smiling. Kirk had a feeling that he was making a terrible mistake, but he didn't know what else he could do. On the floor Spock was fighting to regain consciousness.
"This agreement will require a blood oath." Cel'esta announced.
"Spock doesn't have any blood to spare." Bones protested.
"No, not Spock's," Cel'esta put her hand on Kirk's cheek "his."
"I take this blood oath and you will give us the trilithium?"
"Yes, it is already aboard your ship." Cel'esta promised. "We will also do what we can to heal Spock's broken body so that he might raise his child himself."
"Deal."
"Captain..." Spock muttered half awake "do not..."
"It is already done." Cel'esta smiled. "Come with me, Captain."
"Jim, are you sur..."
"Take care of Spock, Bones, I'll be back soon."
Spock was trying to get to his feet even though he couldn't open his eyes. Bones held him down and tried to calm him. Before he could have second thoughts of his own Kirk turned back to Cel'esta. She held her hand out for him to take in a courtly manner. Taking the Romulan's delicate hand he followed her out of the room.
The Empress said nothing as she lead him down the complicated hallways. A set of guards was always watching, but they kept their distance. Kirk stopped suddenly and whipped around when he heard a blood curdling scream echo through the stone corridors. Cel'esta came up behind Kirk and wrapped her arms around his waist. Pressing herself into his back she placed her lips against his ear. The cry repeated itself with an almost musical tone to it marred only by the obvious agony behind it.
"Do not be alarmed." Cel'esta whispered as she bit his ear gently. "The screams mean that your friend still has plenty of fight left in him. Romulan medicine can be painful, but you must be alive to feel pain."
"I find out he's been murdere..."
"I have no reason to murder a dying man. If I wanted him dead I would have just left him to die. I promised that we would try to help him and that is exactly what we are doing. Come along."
Kirk found himself frozen to the spot as Spock cried out again. Cel'esta released her hold on his waist and put her hands up on his shoulders to guide him away. Begrudgingly Kirk turned and followed the Empress once again. She came to a traditional door which was instantly opened for her by the guard that stood outside it.
The room beyond was a small one that only had a single distinguishing feature. A glass ball that hovered in a deep blue light dominated the center of the room. Cel'esta walked around to the far side of the floating orb and tapped on it. The clear sphere turned a bright blue and seemed to swirl inside.
"Captain, place your right hand on the orb. Do not release it until you are instructed to do so."
"Um...I was kinda expecting us to cut our palms open and shake hands."
"Disgusting. No, this is how the blood oath is done."
"Alright." Kirk shrugged.
Assuming the orb to be some sort of religious statue he placed his hand on top of it much like the way one used to place his hand on a Bible on Earth long ago. Cel'esta locked eyes with Kirk. He wasn't sure if he was looking at mischief or excitement in her eyes.
"You will repeat what I say perfectly, is that understood?"
"Yes."
"I, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, do swear..."
"I, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, do swear..."
"That upon the twenty-first birthday of the child born of Spock's blood..."
"That upon the twenty-first birthday of the child born of Spock's blood..."
"I will return to Romulus with the child to remind them of their father's promise made to all Romulans."
"I will return to Romulus with the child to remind them of their father's promise made to all Romulans."
Even as Kirk was saying the words he wasn't sure if he would truly honor them. He was just about to take his hand off the glass orb when a pain lanced up his arm and stabbed into his heart. Gasping for breath he tried to pull away from the orb, but found that his hand was securely attached to it. The blue in the orb swirled with red as it drew some of his blood. It felt like hours before the pain subsided.
"You may remove your hand now." Cel'esta informed.
"What just happened?" Kirk asked as he nursed his sore hand.
"It is all part of participating in a blood oath."
"Are we done?"
"Yes. You and your friends are free to leave."
"Thank you."
"You are welcome."
Cel'esta left the orb that was now glowing red behind to walk up to Kirk. She took his arm as though they were going out on a date. She lead him back to the room where Spock and McCoy waited. To Kirk's surprise Spock was sitting up. Bones was pacing once again, looking unhappy. When he caught sight of Kirk Spock got to his feet. It was clear that he was still weak, but he didn't look on the edge of death at the moment.
"Captain..."
"I'm fine, Spock." Kirk assured. "Empress, thank you for all your help."
"My pleasure. When you are ready to leave my guards here will return you to your ship."
"I think we are ready to leave now."
"Then I wish you safe travels. Take care with your cargo, it is unstable at best."
"We will." Kirk turned to his friend. "Gentlemen, let's go."
"Yes, Captain." Spock said with a hint of defeat in his voice.
True to her word the Empress had loaded the ship with a small amount of precious cargo. The handful of trilithium was suspended in a field encased in a cylinder of glass much the same way the red matter had been. A thick blue coat of what looked like slime covered the black ore contained within. As Kirk stared at the trilithium that looked woefully out of place in the lavish ship Spock went to the helm and set a course back towards Starbase 257.
Feeling tired from their ordeal on Romulus Kirk decided to stay in the lounge room with the trilithium. Once they were in the relative safety of the Neutral Zone Spock approached Kirk. He already looked like he was going down hill fast since his treatment under the hands of the Romulans. The minute Spock had set the course he had taken a heavy dose of Vulandin, and it seemed to be ravaging his delicate system even faster than before.
"How are you feeling, Spock?"
"The Romulans have bought me some time. Dr. McCoy was most distraught, but he admitted that he could not argue with their results."
"Where is Bones?"
"Sleeping."
"Probably for the best."
"Captain, may I speak with you?"
"I thought that's what we were doing."
"I wish to change the subject." Spock clarified.
"Sure. Have a seat."
"I will make this brief and then retire to bed."
"Okay, what's on your mind?"
"I need to know the exact words that you gave Cel'esta during the blood oath." Spock said bluntly.
"I told her that I would return to Romulus with your child when they turned twenty-one."
"Did you make any amendments?"
"I don't understand."
"Are you to perform this task no matter if I live or die."
"Uh...it didn't come up. I assumed she meant if you died."
"There are no assumptions in a blood oath. If you only stated that you would return on my child's twenty-first birthday then that is what you must do."
"Don't worry about it, Spock." Kirk shrugged. "I don't intend to go back one way or the other."
"You must."
"Why?"
"If you break the promise you made to Cel'esta you will die."
"Come on, Spock, you know I don't believe in all that hocus pocus."
"It is not magic, it is a computer program. Nanites were injected into your blood, hence the term 'blood oath'. If they are not returned to the orb in the time frame set by you they will kill you."
"That pointy-ear bit..."
"Captain, what is done is done. However, if a war breaks out between Romulus and the humans, you will be forced to return to Romulus anyway and my child will have to accompany you."
"Spock, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"I suppose what you have done was only logical." Spock gave Kirk a shallow bow.
"How so?"
"Cel'esta was not going to allow us leave without gaining something for herself."
"A lot can happen in twenty-one years, Spock. Let's not worry about it right now."
"Agreed."
"Go get some rest, Spock."
"You require rest as well, Captain."
"Duly noted."
Spock nodded and went to seek out a bed. When he went passed the chamber with the trilithum suspended in it he placed his hand on the glass and stared at it. Kirk watched Spock as he contemplated what might be his last chance at life. Eventually Spock left. Kirk moved over to the couch and stretched out for a quick nap. Unable to sleep he just stared at the trilithum floating in the glass cage.
"This had better work."